DS 

646.3 

M555w 


THE   WILD   MEN    OF 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


1  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


WILD  MEN  OF  BORNEO    (MURUTS) 


WITH  THE 

WILD  MEN 

OF  BORNEO 


Printed  in  U.  S.  A. 

PACIFIC  PRESS  PUBLISHING  ASSOCIATION: 

MOUNTAIN  VIEW,  CALIFORNIA 

Branches  at  Kansas  City,   Missouri ;  Portland,   Oregon  ;  Brookfield,   Illinois  ; 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota ;  Cristobal,  Canal  Zone 


COPYRIGHT,  1922 
Pacific  Press  Publishing  Association 


D5 


Introduction 

Borneo  lies  almost  exactly  under  the  equator,  and 
is  one  of  the  larger  islands  in  the  great  East  Indian 
Archipelago.  It  is  830  miles  long  and  600  miles 
wide.  The  size  of  this  island  may  be  appreciated 
by  a  comparison  of  its  area  with  that  of  a  part  of 
Great  Britain.  It  is  roughly  five  times  as  large  as 
England  and  Wales. 

Little  is  known  of  the  early  history  of  Borneo, 
although  European  navigators  and  traders  touched 
its  shores  about  the  year  1511,  in  search  of  the 
riches  of  the  East.  The  Portuguese  were  the  first 
to  establish  commercial  relations  with  the  island; 
and  during  the  sixteenth  century,  Spanish  traders 
tried,  with  some  success,  to  obtain  a  share  of  this 
profitable  commerce. 

The  formation  of  the  Dutch  and  British  East 
India  companies  destroyed  the  monopoly  so  long  en- 
joyed by  the  earlier  traders,  with  the  Dutch  taking 
the  lead  throughout  the  Malay  Archipelago. 

The  rich  cargoes  of  the  trading  vessels  offered 
great  temptations  to  the  unprincipled  natives  of 
Borneo  and  adjacent  islands;  and  piracy  became 
such  a  menace  to  the  lives  and  property  of  the  Euro- 
pean traders,  that  efforts  were  made  to  stamp  out 
the  nefarious  business. 

One  of  the  British  expeditions  under  Sir  James 
Brooke,  in  1838,  was  very  successful  in  suppressing 
piracy,  and  gained  for  the  British  considerable  pres- 
tige with  the  natives  of  Borneo.  This  aggravated 

(7) 


8  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

the  rivalry  between  the  Dutch  and  the  British  in 
their  efforts  to  control  the  trade,  and  not  until  1891 
were  the  boundaries  of  British  and  Dutch  Borneo 
finally  defined.  The  north  and  west  coasts  are  now 
under  British  rule,  and  in  these  districts  the  most 
successful  missionary  efforts  have  been  conducted. 
The  work  of  Pastor  Mershon  and  his  capable  wife 
in  British  Borneo  shows  what  the  gospel  can  ac- 
complish in  changing  the  hearts  and  lives  of  such 
unpromising  people  as  are  found  in  these  far- 
off  regions. 

This  little  book  is  sent  out  with  the  assurance 
that  it  will  do  its  part  in  stimulating  the  reader's 
interest  in  the  great  work  now  going  forward  — 
"The  Gospel  to  All  the  World  in  This  Generation." 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


Contents 

Chapter  Page 

1.  En  Route  to  Borneo        .       .  13 

2.  The  History  of  Borneo  ....  25 

3.  The  People  of  Borneo      ...  33 

4.  The  Sago  Palm 51 

5.  Edible  Birds'  Nests  ....  57 

6.  A  Trip  to  the  Foothills  of  Kinabalu  61 

7.  A  Narrow  Escape     ....  73 

8.  Encounters  with  Thieves    .       .       .77 

9.  A  Snake  Story 83 

10.  A  Night  in  a  Fishing  Village    .       .  89 

11.  A  Visit  to  a  Rubber  Estate    .       .  95 

12.  Traveling  in  Borneo     ....  103 

13.  Varied  Experiences  .       .       .       .  115 

14.  Sacrificing  for  Missions      .       .       .  125 


(9) 


Illustrations 


Wild  Men  of  Borneo  (Frontispiece)    2 

Mission  Home  at  Sandakan  12 

Durian  Fruit   18 

Mount  Kinabalu    21 

Church  at  Labuan  Island   23 

Map  of  Borneo 24 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mershon  and  Native  Workers 26 

Huts  of  Natives  Near  Sandakan 29 

A  Jungle  Vine  in  Sarawak ' 31 

Native  House,  East  Coast 32 

Dyaks  in  Native  Costume    34 

Tamu  (Native  Fair)    35 

Orang-utans   37 

Dusun  House,  West  Coast 39 

Dusun  Women  Pounding  Rice   41 

Dusun  Girls,  West  Coast 43 

Dusun  Wedding  Group,  Bride  in  Center  45 

Bajaus   (Sea  Gypsies)    46 

Orang  Sungei  (River  Men)    47 

Muruts,  West  Coast 49 

Cutting  Sago   53 

Crude  Sago  Factory 54 

Hauling  Sago    55 

Map  Showing  Trip  to  Rubber  Estate   63 

Native  Village,  Brunei 65 

A  Native  Sailing  Boat 66 

Planting  Paddy  (Rice) ,  West  Coast 68 

General  Workers,  British  North  Borneo  Mission 72 

A  Home  in  the  Jungle 76 

Dusun   Children    82 

Brownie,  Protector  from  Thieves  and  Snakes  85 

On  the  Lawn  of  the  Mission  Home 88 

Padas   River,  West   Coast    90 

Brunei  Fishing  Village   92 

A  Grove  of  Rubber  Trees 94 

Tapping  Rubber   (Old  Method)    96 

Tapping  Rubber  (Modern  Method)    97 

Coagulating   Tanks    99 

Rubber  Seeds  and  Seedling   101 

Flower  of  the  Rubber  Tree 101 

At  the  Pier,  Jesselton •. 102 

Mrs.  Mershon  and  Native  Girl  Workers 107 

A  Native  Boat 108 

Crocodile,   East   Coast    110 

A  Sago  Palm   Ill 

Church  Members,  Sandakan,  September,  1919 114 

Wong   Sisters    117 

Boys'  School,  Sandakan   119 

Native  Boys,  East  Coast 121 

Baptism  at  Gaya  Bay,  Jesselton 123 

Pan  Loi  Yin 124 

(11) 


CHAPTER  I 

En  *Rjaute  to  "Borneo 


ORNEO !  What  does  the  name  suggest 
to  your  minds?  The  first  thing  prob- 
ably is  the  "wild  man  from  Borneo." 
From  my  childhood  days  until  I  ar- 
rived in  Borneo,  all  I  knew  about  the 
country  was  that  it  was  where  the  wild  men  lived, 
and  I  always  imagined  that  they  spent  most  of  their 
time  running  around  the  island  cutting  off  people's 
heads.  Strange  to  say,  even  to  this  day,  many 
people  have  the  same  idea.  Before  you  finish  read- 
ing what  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about  distant  Borneo 
and  its  people,  I  hope  you  will  have  learned  that  the 
"wild  man  from  Borneo"  is  not  such  a  bad  fel- 
low after  all. 

Some  years  ago,  the  Mission  Board  invited  me  to 
go  to  China.  Gladly  answering  the  call,  I  was 
asked  to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  Singapore 
Mission  for  a  few  months  before  proceeding  to 
China.  While  here,  I  was  asked  to  go  to  Borneo, 
and  it  was  not  long  after  this  that  I  found  myself 
on  the  way  to  the  country  of  the  "wild  man." 

The  steamship  "Rajah  of  Sarawak"  was  adver- 
tised to  leave  Singapore  for  Borneo  at  twelve  noon. 
My  husband  and  I,  accompanied  by  Brother  and 
Sister  Munson,  missionaries  in  Singapore,  called 
rickshas  to  take  us  down  to  the  pier.  Perhaps 
some  of  you  do  not  know  what  a  ricksha  is.  This 
is  a  short  name  for  the  jinrikisha,  a  high,  two- 

(13) 


14  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

wheeled  cart  pulled  by  a  man.  Some  of  these  carts 
are  just  wide  enough  for  one  person  to  sit  in ;  others 
are  a  little  wider,  and  sometimes  two  or  three  na- 
tives can  squeeze  into  one  of  them  and  appear  to  be 
comfortable. 

Our  baggage  had  been  sent  on  board  ship  the  day 
before.  Arriving  at  the  pier,  we  called  a  sampan 
(a  small  native  boat),  and,  depositing  ourselves 
with  our  "handgrips"  in  it,  we  were  rowed  to  the 
"Rajah,"  which  was  anchored  out  in  the  bay.  The 
Chinese  boatmen  stand  up  in  their  boats  and  row 
with  their  oars  crossed.  To  the  Western  mind,  this 
appears  strange;  but  the  Chinese,  having  rowed 
this  way  for  generations,  are  able  to  make  their 
boats  glide  rapidly  through  the  water,  and  handle 
them  very  skillfully.  Our  boatman  grunted  occa- 
sionally, to  let  us  know  how  hard  he  was  working. 
This  is  a  habit  the  Chinese  have  of  working  on  the 
sympathies  of  the  unwary  passenger,  to  get  a  few 
cents  above  the  regular  fare.  We  boarded  the  ship, 
and  chatted  with  Brother  and  Sister  Munson  until 
the  order  "All  ashore"  was  given.  Then  we  bade 
farewell  to  our  friends,  and  saw  them  safely  down 
the  gangway.  Soon  the  anchor  was  pulled  up,  and 
we  began  to  move. 

Singapore  is  called  the  "hub  of  the  East,"  which 
means  that  practically  all  the  trade  of  the  East 
passes  through  this  port.  Ships  from  all  over  the 
world  call  here.  As  our  ship  steamed  her  way  be- 
tween the  large  number  of  ships  at  anchor  in  the 
bay,  we  recognized  the  flags  of  the  United  States, 
England,  Australia,  France,  Holland,  Greece,  China, 


En  Route  to  Borneo  15 

Japan,  Sarawak,  Siam,  Sweden,  and  British  North 
Borneo.  In  about  an  hour's  time,  we  had  left  them 
all  behind  us,  and  passing  the  Horsborough  Light- 
house, we  were  in  the  South  China  Sea.  Our  boat 
was  small  and  the  waves  were  high,  so  we  retired 
early.  The  next  morning,  we  bravely  faced  the 
breakfast  table.  The  table  was  fastened  on  the  deck 
at  the  stern,  but  somehow  the  rocking  of  the  ship 
and  the  vibration  of  the  propeller  did  not  help  us 
to  retain  our  food.  However,  by  tiffin  (midday 
luncheon),  we  were  back  at  the  table;  and  from  that 
time,  we  were  good  sailors. 

The  second  day  out,  we  saw  two  waterspouts  com- 
ing directly  in  front  of  us.  As  they  came  nearer, 
the  captain  changed  the  course  of  the  ship,  and  the 
waterspouts  passed  to  the  side.  No  doubt,  on  a 
windy  day,  you  have  seen  dust  on  the  street  whirl 
round  and  round,  rising  higher  and  higher;  narrow 
at  the  bottom,  and  growing  larger  at  the  top,  some- 
what in  appearance  like  a  funnel.  A  waterspout 
looks  just  about  the  same,  only  much  larger  and 
higher;  and  the  water,  continually  rising,  is  lost 
in  the  clouds.  When  some  one  asked  the  captain 
what  would  have  happened  if  he  had  not  altered 
the  course  of  the  ship,  he  said  that  probably  the 
lifeboats  would  have  been  carried  away,  the  tar- 
paulin ripped  to  pieces,  and  we  should  all  have 
enjoyed  a  huge  shower  bath. 

The  same  day,  we  passed  the  Anambas,  a  group 
of  islands  belonging  to  the  Dutch;  and  during  the 
night,  we  passed  through  the  Natuna  Islands,  an- 
other Dutch  possession.  On  the  morning  of  the 


16  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

fourth  day,  we  arrived  at  Miri,  an  oil  town  in  Sa- 
rawak. The  government  of  Sarawak  does  not  per- 
mit passengers  to  land,  but  we  could  see  the  town  in 
the  distance.  There  seemed  to  be  a  number  of  oil 
wells  on  the  hills,  a  few  houses  and  Chinese  shops 
lower  down  in  the  town.  Two  lighters  laden  with 
lumber  were  towed  to  the  side  of  the  ship ;  and  when 
the  lumber  had  been  swung  over  the  side  of  the  ship 
and  put  in  our  hold,  we  pulled  anchor  and  started 
off  again. 

Late  that  night,  we  anchored  near  Labuan,  an 
island  off  the  west  coast  of  Borneo.  This  is  owned 
by  England  and  is  governed  from  Singapore.  The 
word  "Labuan"  means  anchorage.  When  the  "Ra- 
jah" pulled  up  to  the  wharf  early  the  next  morning, 
we  were  able  to  get  a  fairly  good  view  of  the  town. 
After  breakfast,  we  strolled  through  the  main  street 
to  see  the  sights.  Such  a  funny  little  place!  If  I 
had  not  known  it  was  Labuan,  I  should  have  said  it 
belonged  to  China.  A  row  of  Chinese  shops  lined 
one  side  of  the  street.  A  few  warehouses,  and  a  mar- 
ket, in  which  fruit  and  vegetables  were  being  sold 
by  Chinese,  were  on  the  other  side.  Lower  down,  we 
saw  a  courthouse  with  a  post  office  combined;  and 
still  lower  down,  police  barracks.  These,  with  a  few 
houses  behind  the  shops,  made  up  the  town.  We 
saw  few  natives.  On  the  street,  little  Chinese  girls 
and  boys  were  playing;  and  later  in  the  morning, 
we  heard  the  children  singing  their  lessons  at  the 
Chinese  school.  On  the  seashore  near  the  wharf, 
natives  were  breaking  the  shells  of  coconuts,  and 
putting  the  kernels  in  the  sun  to  dry. 


En  Route  to  Borneo  17 

At  ten  o'clock,  we  pulled  out  again,  headed  for 
British  North  Borneo.  Soon  after  tiffin,  we  saw 
Mount  Kinabalu,  a  well-known  landmark  of  North 
Borneo.  It  is  13,700  feet  in  height,  and  is  con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  the  highest  mountains  in  the 
East.  About  six  in  the  evening,  we  reached  Gaya 
Island.  Rounding  the  point,  and  passing  between 
this  and  Sapangar  Island,  we  steamed  into  the  bay, 
and  saw  the  town  of  Jesselton  nestling  at  the  foot  of 
the  hills.  It  was  well  lighted  with  electricity.  The 
signal  was  given  the  captain  to  anchor  at  the  wharf. 
As  soon  as  the  gangway  was  placed  in  position,  we 
went  on  shore.  Mr.  Mershon  had  already  spent 
several  years  in  Borneo,  but  everything  was  new  to 
me.  I  could  see  nothing  of  the  "wild  man";  just  a 
few  peaceable  looking  Chinese  and  a  few  Malays. 
We  visited  the  home  of  our  Chinese  evangelist,  Tsen 
En  Fook;  and  after  a  pleasant  chat,  we  returned  to 
the  boat  to  sleep. 

The  next  day,  we  walked  through  the  town,  and 
I  got  my  first  impression  of  what  goes  to  make  up  a 
town  in  Borneo.  I  think  I  am  safe  in  saying  that 
a  coastal  town  in  Borneo  consists  of  a  club,  a  hotel,  a 
few  government  offices,  a  jail,  police  barracks,  a  fish 
and  general  market,  a  hospital,  lawn  tennis  and 
football  grounds,  and  a  number  of  Chinese  stores. 
While  walking  through  the  market,  I  was  surprised 
to  see  a  crowd  of  Chinese  and  natives  scuffling  and 
yelling.  Noticing  a  tall  Sikh  (Indian)  policeman  in 
the  midst  of  them,  I  thought  perhaps  he  was  trying 
to  arrest  some  one.  Imagine  my  surprise  to  find 
out,  when  the  noise  was  over,  that  this  was  the  way 


18 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


to  buy  fish.  The  fisherman  empties  his  bag  on 
the  floor,  and  his  customers  have  to  fight  for  what 
they  want. 

In  the  market,  we  saw  chickens,  ducks,  and  pork 
for  sale.  Of  vegetables,  there  were  sweet  potatoes, 
Irish  potatoes  —  about  the  size  of  marbles  —  egg- 
plant, cucumbers,  turnips,  bean  sprouts,  and  tapioca 


DURIAN  FRUIT 


roots.  Pineapples  and  bananas  were  in  abundance. 
Mangoes,  papayas,  oranges,  and  other  tropical 
fruits  were  fairly  plentiful.  One  fruit  in  particular 
did  not  seem  to  be  very  plentiful,  and  that  was  the 
durian.  I  had  heard  much  about  this  fruit,  and  was 
anxious  to  taste  it.  Some  one  had  told  me  that  it 
had  the  odor  of  a  dirty  drain.  It  surely  has  a 
peculiar  odor,  but  I  could  not  associate  it  with  a 
drain;  in  fact,  it  rather  fascinated  me.  On  tasting 
the  fruit,  I  found  that  I  wanted  more.  I  really 


En  Route  to  Borneo  19 

could  not  describe  the  taste  to  you,  and  I  do  not  be- 
lieve anyone  else  could  do  so  either;  at  least,  I  have 
never  heard  it  described  properly.  All  I  can  say 
is,  that  to  me,  it  is  like  the  odor  of  decayed  onions, 
chloroform,  and  sweet  custard.  You  will  think  this 
is  a  strange  description,  but  I  cannot  give  a  more 
exact  one.  The  natives  say  that  if  a  man  cannot  eat 
durian  and  enjoy  it,  he  is  not  fitted  for  the  tropics. 
They  think  this  is  a  good  way  of  finding  out  whether 
a  European  will  endure  the  trying  climate. 

Our  boat  left  again  at  twelve  noon.  As  we 
passed  between  Gaya  and  Sapangar  islands,  we  saw 
Mount  Kinabalu  outlined  against  the  deep  blue 
sky.  A  few  cloudlets  rested  near  the  top.  Some- 
times the  top  is  entirely  hidden  by  clouds;  at  other 
times,  the  whole  mountain  is  hidden.  For  hours,  we 
kept  the  mountain  in  sight;  and  when  we  passed 
Usakan  —  a  small  cattle  town  on  the  coast,  and  the 
nearest  town  by  which  to  reach  Kinabalu  on  the 
west  coast  —  we  saw  it  in  all  its  beauty.  The  cap- 
tain let  us  have  his  telescope  to  obtain  a  good  look 
at  it;  and  as  the  sun  was  shining  directly  on  its 
western  side,  we  were  able  to  see  the  rugged  rocks 
with  huge  seams  running  in  every  direction.  Some 
explorers  say  the  summit  of  the  mountain  is  two 
miles  in  length;  others  say  it  is  from  four  to  five 
miles.  The  summit  is  said  to  consist  of  granite. 
Here  and  there  it  is  crossed  by  belts  of  white  rock; 
and  below  the  granite  is  found  a  hard  kind  of  shale 
and  greenstone. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  same  night,  we  reached 
Kudat,  a  small  town  on  Marudu  Bay.  This  is  the 


20  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

most  northerly  town  in  Borneo.  At  one  time,  Kudat 
was  the  capital  of  British  North  Borneo.  In  fact, 
it  was  the  first  capital.  Then  it  was  the  port  of  call 
for  large  steamers.  At  the  present  time,  the  Straits 
Steamship  Company's  boats,  running  from  Singa- 
pore to  Sandakan,  and  the  small  coastal  steamers, 
are  the  only  ones  touching  at  this  point.  Kudat  is 
the  home  of  the  Kudat  chair,  well  known  in  the  East 
for  its  durability  and  comfort.  When  we  went 
ashore  the  next  morning,  we  saw  Chinese  men  and 
women  sitting  in  the  street  selling  eggs,  chickens, 
fruit,  and  vegetables.  In  the  market  on  the  sea- 
shore, we  saw  pork,  fish,  chickens,  ducks,  fruit,  and 
vegetables  exposed  for  sale.  It  did  not  take  us  long 
to  see  the  town.  We  purchased  some  custard  apples 
and  returned  to  the  "Rajah"  to  enjoy  them. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  were  on  the 
move  again.  Mount  Kinabalu  was  visible  to  the 
south,  and  looked  beautiful  as  the  sun  rose.  About 
twelve  miles  from  the  entrance  to  Marudu  Bay,  we 
passed  two  islands,  Balambangan  and  Banguey. 
The  former  is  forty  square  miles  in  extent;  and  the 
latter,  one  hundred  sixty-seven  square  miles.  The 
passage  between  Banguey  and  Borneo  is  called 
Banguey  South  Channel.  Passing  through  this 
channel,  we  saw  numerous  islands,  the  largest  of 
which  is  Mallawalli.  Between  this  and  Borneo  is 
a  very  dangerous  channel  called  the  Mallawalli 
Channel.  The  waters  are  studded  with  reefs,  and 
captains  never  attempt  to  sail  their  ships  through 
this  channel  at  night.  Looking  over  the  sides  of  the 
boat,  we  could  see  coral  reefs  close  to  the  surface  of 


22  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

the  water.  The  captain  changed  the  course  of  the 
ship  every  few  minutes.  The  government  has 
placed  beacons  in  the  water  at  several  points,  to 
guide  seamen  through  the  channel.  Nearly  all  the 
boats  on  this  run  have  at  various  times  gone 
aground  on  these  reefs. 

The  captain  directed  our  attention  to  a  bay  that 
is  scarcely  noticeable  to  the  ordinary  traveler.  In 
the  olden  days,  pirates  used  to  wait  here  for  the 
wealth-laden  ships  that  sailed  these  waters.  On  we 
passed,  zigzagging  among  islands  and  reefs.  After 
leaving  the  channel,  our  next  point  of  interest  was  a 
large  bay,  nineteen  miles  wide,  called  Labuk  Bay. 
Sailing  on  twenty  miles  southwest,  we  reached  the 
magnificent  harbor  of  Sandakan.  When  we  had 
sailed  for  another  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  we 
dropped  anchor  in  midstream.  All  we  could  see  of 
the  town  was  a  few  rows  of  kerosene  lamps.  We 
were  up  early  the  next  morning,  and  I  was  very 
much  interested  to  see  what  Sandakan  looked  like. 
Rows  of  Chinese  shops  built  over  the  water  greeted 
my  eyes;  and  above,  on  the  hills,  I  could  see  white 
houses  occupied  by  Europeans.  The  harbor  of  San- 
dakan is  about  fifteen  miles  long,  and  five  miles  is 
its  greatest  width.  The  only  danger  to  be  en- 
countered in  entering  the  harbor  is  a  small  rock, 
known  as  "Atjeh  Rock,"  which  is  located  fourteen 
feet  below  the  water.  It  is  marked  with  a  small 
white  buoy. 

At  eight  o'clock,  we  called  a  sampan  to  take  us 
ashore.  This  was  manned  by  two  Chinese  women. 
One  sat  in  the  stern  sculling  with  a  long  oar;  the 


En  Route  to  Borneo 


23 


other  used  a  small  oar  in  the  bow.  We  were  not 
long  in  getting  ashore.  We  climbed  the  steps  to  the 
pier;  and  passing  through  the  customs,  we  realized 
we  were  in  Sandakan  —  mission  headquarters. 
Chinese  and  Malays  were  lounging  on  the  sides  of 
the  road,  curiously  gazing  at  the  mem  bharu  (new 
mistress)  walking  by  the  side  of  the  tuan  padre 
(minister).  Calling  a  coolie  to  carry  our  hand  bag- 
gage, we  walked  up  the  hill  to  the  mission  house; 
and  thus  began  my  life  in  the  country  of  the 
"wild  man." 


CHURCH  AT  LABUAN 


(24) 


MAP   OF  BORNEO 


CHAPTER  II 

The  History  of  "Borneo 

F  you  will  turn  to  your  school  map  of 
Asia,  you  will  see  a  group  of  islands 
stretching  from  the  Philippines  to  Aus- 
tralia. New  Guinea,  to  the  northeast 
of  Australia,  is  the  largest,  not  only  of 
the  group,  but  of  the  world.  Borneo  ranks  next 
in  size,  and  its  area  is  more  than  285,000  square 
miles.  Now  turn  to  your  geography  and  add  up 
the  areas  of  Oregon,  Washington,  Idaho,  Vermont, 
New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  and 
Rhode  Island.  You  will  find  that  the  total  area 
lacks  about  800  square  miles  of  equaling  the  area 
of  Borneo.  Let  us  consider  it  a  little  differently. 
Take  the  areas  of  Uncle  Sam's  island  possessions, 
the  Philippines,  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  Porto  Rico, 
Guam,  and  Tutuila,  Samoa.  The  combined  area 
is  much  less  than  half  the  area  of  Borneo. 

At  the  present  time,  the  average  person  knows 
little  or  nothing  of  Borneo;  yet,  as  far  back  as  the 
sixteenth  century,  the  possession  of  it  was  a  bone  of 
contention  with  Portugal,  Spain,  Holland,  and  Eng- 
land. The  Portuguese  landed  in  1520.  You  will  re- 
member that  in  the  year  1498,  Vasco  da  Gama,  a 
Portuguese  navigator,  made  his  great  voyage  around 
the  Cape  which  opened  up  India  to  the  Western 
powers.  Probably  you  know  that  the  desire  to  find 
the  spice-growing  countries  led  to  this  discovery. 

(25) 


26  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

After  Columbus  discovered  the  New  World,  Pope 
Alexander  VI,  to  save  trouble  between  the  Portu- 
guese and  the  Spanish,  made  a  line  of  demarcation 
from  pole  to  pole,  giving  the  Spanish  all  lands  west 
of  the  line,  and  the  Portuguese  the  lands  on  the  east. 
The  Portuguese  and  the  Spaniards  entered  into  a 
treaty,  and  agreed  not  to  trespass  on  each  other's 


MR.  AND  MRS.   MERSHON  AND  NATIVE  WORKERS 

territory.  According  to  this,  the  Spanish  were  not 
able  to  sail  to  the  Eastern  Archipelago  by  way  of 
the  Cape,  so  they  had  to  find  a  passage  by  way  of 
the  lands  discovered  by  Columbus.  In  1519,  a  Por- 
tuguese navigator  named  Magellan  started  out  with 
a  small  fleet  to  find  the  "Spice  Islands"  in  the  in- 
terests of  Spain.  He  succeeded  in  finding  a  passage 
to  the  Eastern  Archipelago  by  way  of  what  is  now 
called  the  Magellan  Strait.  Sailing  eastward,  he 
discovered  the  Philippine  Islands.  In  1521,  the 
Spaniards  landed  in  Borneo.  The  island  was  in  a 


The  History  of  Borneo  27 

most  flourishing  condition  at  that  time.  Large  num- 
bers of  Chinese  were  settled  on  its  coasts,  and  an 
immense  trade  was  carried  on  with  China.  Each 
season,  many  Chinese  junks  visited  the  island  in 
search  of  spices,  edible  birds'  nests,  and  precious 
stones. 

About  1598,  the  Dutch  began  to  stretch  their 
hands  over  the  island.  The  English  were  rather 
slow  in  following  the  example  of  their  commercial 
rivals.  While  they  realized  to  a  certain  extent  the 
abundant  wealth  of  the  Eastern  Archipelago,  they 
did  not  really  wake  up  to  do  anything  serious  until 
a  Portuguese  galleon  from  the  Indies  was  wrecked 
on  the  southern  shore  of  England.  The  ship  was 
only  1,600  tons  burden;  but  when  it  was  searched, 
its  cargo  was  found  to  be  worth  £150,000,  or  $750,- 
000.  Interest  was  awakened.  English  merchants 
got  together  and  formed  companies,  and  largely  and 
successfully  prevented  Portugal,  Spain,  and  Holland 
from  monopolizing  the  spice  trade  of  the  East. 
Each  power  had  in  turn  claimed  the  Eastern  Archi- 
pelago. In  1599,  a  company  of  English  merchants 
was  formed;  and  Queen  Elizabeth  granted  them  a 
charter,  which  permitted  them,  "at  their  own  costs 
and  charges,"  to  make  voyages  to  the  East  Indies, 
and  be  one  company  named  the  "Governor  and  Com- 
pany of  Merchants  of  London  trading  in  the 
East  Indies." 

In  1602,  the  Dutch  companies  formed  one  big 
company,  calling  it  the  "Netherlands  and  East  India 
Company."  Shares  were  sold  in  Europe,  and  the 
attention  of  all  was  centered  on  the  spice  trade  of 


28  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

the  East.  This  really  proved  to  be  the  turning  point 
of  the  commerce  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  The 
Dutch  succeeded  in  driving  out  the  Portuguese ;  and 
the  Spaniards  were  finally  forced  to  retire,  by  the 
combined  efforts  of  Holland  and  England.  Now 
the  field  was  open  to  the  two  powers ;  and  during  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  both  struggled 
hard  for  supremacy. 

The  main  object  of  the  early  comers  to  Borneo 
seems  to  have  been  to  make  as  much  out  of  it  as 
possible.  All  recognized  it  as  a  good  country  to 
colonize;  but  no  steps  were  taken  in  this  direction 
until  1877,  when  a  small  company  of  Englishmen 
made  overtures  to  the  sultans  of  Brunei  and  Sulu 
—  native  rulers  of  Borneo  —  for  this  purpose. 
After  the  expenditure  of  much  time  and  money, 
there  was  granted  to  them  by  the  sultan  of  Brunei 
in  1877,  and  by  the  sultan  of  Sulu  in  1878,  that  part 
of  the  island  now  known  as  British  North  Borneo, 
including  all  islands  within  nine  miles  of  the  main- 
land. In  1881,  the  British  government,  recognizing 
the  patriotism  of  the  association,  and  its  untiring  ef- 
forts to  colonize  in  Borneo,  confirmed  this  grant  by 
royal  charter,  bestowing  upon  them  the  right  to  call 
themselves  the  "British  North  Borneo  Company," 
and  also  granting  the  right  to  make  and  execute 
their  own  laws.  Great  Britain  does  not  assume  any 
control  over  the  government ;  but  in  case  of  a  foreign 
invasion,  she  agrees  to  protect  the  territory.  Thus 
British  North  Borneo  is  called  a  protectorate. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  the  British  government 
naturally  stirred  up  trouble  with  Spain  and  Hoi- 


(29) 


30  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

land.  Each  claimed  the  island  as  its  own,  and  op- 
posed the  grant  of  the  charter  as  an  "encroachment 
and  a  violation  of  treaties  with  native  rulers."  The 
rajah  of  Sarawak  also  opposed  it.  After  a  number 
of  years  of  negotiations,  in  1892  the  last  claimant, 
Holland,  agreed  to  fixing  the  boundaries  as  they 
now  stand  between  Dutch  and  British  Borneo. 

The  sultanate  of  Brunei,  once  so  large  and  pros- 
perous, has  dwindled  to  almost  nothing.  When  the 
Portuguese  and  the  Spanish  first  landed,  Brunei 
was  at  the  height  of  its  splendor.  The  town,  once 
boasting  of  25,000  houses,  consists  of  less  than 
3,000.  The  Chinese  junks,  which  once  crowded  her 
harbors  to  carry  on  extensive  trade,  are  seen  no 
more  in  her  waters.  The  courts  of  the  princes  were 
known  for  their  magnificence.  All  this  has  van- 
ished. To  the  greed  of  the  Dutch  has  this  decline 
been  attributed.  They  demanded  the  goods  for 
which  the  natives  had  obtained  fabulous  prices  from 
China  in  the  past,  and  gave  small  payment  in  re- 
turn. The  natives,  realizing  that  their  income 
was  cut  off,  turned  to  piracy  and  harassed  the  seas. 
The  sultan  is  now  a  ruler  by  courtesy,  and  his  in- 
come consists  mainly  of  the  rents  collected  from 
the  British. 

The  kingdom  of  Sarawak  was  created  by  the  sul- 
tan of  Brunei  in  1841,  for  James  Brooke,  as  a 
reward  for  services  rendered  in  ridding  the  country 
of  the  pirates  that  infested  the  coast.  Sarawak  is 
still  governed  by  a  member  of  the  same  family. 

The  portion  of  the  island  belonging  to  Holland 
has  not  made  any  material  progress,  the  Dutch  con- 


The  History  of  Borneo  31 

fining  themselves  to  the  coast,  exploiting  the  oil 
wells  on  the  east  and  south  sides.  A  well-known 
Dutch  writer  has  said,  "Dutch  Borneo  is  still  the 
least  known,  the  least  submissive,  one  of  the  least 
civilized,  and  perhaps  the  least  profitable,  because 
the  least  exploited,  of  all  the  Dutch  colonial  pos- 


sessions." 


A  JUNGLE  VINE  IN  SARAWAK 


CHAPTER  III 

The  People  of  "Borneo 


T  is  not  really  known  just  how  many 
people  are  living  in  Borneo.  While  it 
is  not  difficult  to  ascertain  the  num- 
ber of  people  living  on  the  coast,  it  is 
very  hard  to  find  out  the  number  liv- 
ing in  the  heart  of  the  country.  Two  thirds  of  the 
island  belongs  to  Holland,  and  it  is  estimated  that 
there  are  two  million  people  in  that  portion.  You 
perhaps  will  wonder  how  an  estimate  is  made.  The 
people  living  within  a  certain  area  are  counted,  and 
the  whole  of  the  country  is  judged  from  that. 

It  is  supposed  that  the  Dyaks  number  a  little  less 
than  one  million.  In  addition  to  these,  there  are 
about  half  a  million  Chinese,  three  thousands  Arabs, 
fourteen  hundred  Europeans,  and  a  few  Malays  and 
Javanese.  The  Europeans  are  mostly  government 
officials,  or  have  charge  of  oil  wells  or  rubber  estates. 
The  Malays  are  natives  of  the  Malay  States,  and  the 
Javanese  come  from  Java. 

The  Dyaks  are  the  real  natives  of  Borneo.  They 
are  found  scattered  throughout  Dutch  Borneo  and 
Sarawak.  The  Dyaks  living  on  the  coast  are  lighter 
in  color  than  those  living  in  the  jungle.  Possibly  the 
sea  air  and  sunlight  have  something  to  do  with  this. 
The  Dyaks  living  in  various  parts  of  Borneo  appear 
to  have  different  habits  and  customs,  and  this  led 
to  the  belief  that  there  was  more  than  one  race  of 

(33) 


34 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


people  living  there.  Now  it  is  believed  that  they  all 
belong  to  one  race,  the  difference  in  locality  having 
altered  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  people. 

The  Dyak,  in  spite  of  all  the  wild  tales  one  hears 
about  him,  is  not  such  a  bad  fellow  after  all.  Of 
course,  it  is  true  that  he  takes  the  heads  of  his 


DYAKS  IN  NATIVE  COSTUME 


enemies  when  he  is  on  the  warpath;  but  in  some 
ways,  he  is  not  much  worse  than  many  so-called 
civilized  people.  He  knows  nothing  of  the  gospel, 
and  has  not  had  the  advantages  that  we  in  civilized 
countries  have.  At  home,  he  is  cheerful  and  very 
hospitable,  kind  to  his  wife  and  children,  and  is  re- 


36  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

garded  as  the  head  of  the  house.  He  is  well  built 
and  has  regular  features,  and  his  brown  face  is 
rather  taking  in  spite  of  his  flat  nose  and  large  lips. 
He  is  dreadfully  lazy,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  tell  a 
lie  to  shield  himself  or  to  make  himself  seem  im- 
portant. When  he  feels  that  he  has  been  offended, 
he  is  very  quick  to  resent  it. 

A  Dyak  child  is  a  happy  little  creature.  Some- 
times the  little  girls  have  to  work  very  hard,  but 
they  do  not  seem  to  mind  it.  When  a  young  couple 
want  to  be  married,  they  get  some  one  to  act  as  a 
go-between  for  them.  This  person  has  to  visit  the 
parents,  and  does  all  the  talking  until  the  marriage 
is  arranged.  The  future  son-in-law  always  has  to 
make  a  present  to  his  future  parents-in-law,  even 
though  they  may  oppose  the  marriage.  When  the 
young  folks  are  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  they 
are  allowed  to  choose  for  themselves;  but  they 
nearly  always  allow  themselves  to  be  guided  by 
their  parents. 

The  Dyak  in  the  north  believes  in  spirits.  To 
him,  everything  is  haunted,  trees  especially.  He 
believes  that  when  spirits  leave  their  dwelling 
places,  sickness  follows.  Certain  gifts  are  made 
to  the  spirits  to  induce  them  to  return.  Death  is 
believed  to  be  the  result  if  they  do  not. 

A  Dyak,  in  order  to  become  a  chief  or  to  get  mar- 
ried, must  bring  to  the  chiefs  of  the  village  one  or 
more  heads  taken  from  some  neighboring  tribe. 
The  object  of  procuring  heads  is  not  so  much  to 
prove  one's  bravery  as  is  often  thought.  The  main 
idea  seems  to  be  to  obtain  the  soul  of  the  dead  man 


ORANG-UTANS 


38  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

to  protect  the  killer  and  his  village.  The  heads  are 
thoroughly  dried,  then  cleaned,  and  decorated  with 
flowers.  In  some  places,  the  Dyaks  have  a  tattooed 
mark  on  the  arm  for  each  head  taken.  When  feasts 
are  held,  the  choicest  bits  of  food  are  offered  to  the 
heads,  in  order  to  induce  their  souls  to  be  on 
friendly  terms  with  the  tribe  by  which  the  heads 
have  been  taken. 

The  Dyak  woman  wears  a  short  skirt  and  vest 
made  of  cotton  cloth  or  bark;  and  the  man  wears  a 
girdle  or  loin  cloth.  Both  sexes  wear  bracelets  of 
bamboo  or  rattan  fiber  threaded  with  brass  rings. 
Sometimes  the  woman  wears  a  girdle  extending 
from  under  the  arms  to  the  hips,  and  perhaps  a  col- 
lar too.  Men  and  women  wear  long  hair  twisted 
into  a  knot.  A  man  wears  a  piece  of  cloth  fixed  like 
a  turban  on  the  head ;  the  women  wear  rattan  hats. 

Some  of  the  tribes  have  the  whole  of  their  bodies 
tattooed,  according  to  their  standing  in  social  af- 
fairs. The  teeth  are  black  from  the  long  continued 
use  of  tobacco  and  the  chewing  of  betel  nut.  Their 
food  is  very  simple,  and  consists  of  rice,  sago,  bam- 
boo shoots,  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  fish  both  fresh 
and  dried.  Nature  is  kind  to  the  native  in  supply- 
ing him  so  bountifully  with  food.  The  houses  are 
made  of  wood,  and  are  built  up  high  on  piles,  and 
surrounded  by  fruit  trees,  sugar  cane,  and  betel 
palms.  Usually  the  houses  are  very  long,  and  con- 
tain the  whole  of  the  village.  These  houses  are  di- 
vided into  compartments,  one  for  each  family. 
Every  village  has  a  communal  house,  where  all  the 


40  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

public  functions  are  held.  The  unmarried  men  use 
this  as  a  dormitory. 

There  are  two  classes  of  Dyaks.  Those  living  in- 
land are  called  Land  Dyaks;  those  living  on  the 
coast  are  called  Sea  Dyaks.  The  Sea  Dyaks  are  not 
as  pure  a  race  as  the  Land  Dyaks,  having  inter- 
married with  the  Bugis  from  Makassar,  in  the 
Celebes.  In  disposition,  the  Sea  Dyak  is  very 
amiable  and  hospitable.  When  a  stranger  comes  to 
visit  him,  a  mat  is  spread  on  the  floor,  and  the  guest 
is  invited  to  sit  down.  Food  is  offered  to  him ;  betel 
nut  and  tobacco  also  are  handed  to  him.  The  Sea 
Dyak,  unlike  the  Land  Dyak,  is  truthful  and  fairly 
honest.  When  living  near  a  town,  he  wears  coat  and 
trousers,  like  civilized  folks.  His  house  is  built  of 
split  palm  trees  or  bamboo,  thatched  with  palm 
leaves.  As  with  the  Land  Dyak,  as  many  as  fifty 
of  these  people  will  live  in  one  long  house,  which 
has  a  porch  on  the  side,  and  a  door  leading  from 
each  compartment  to  the  porch.  Each  compartment 
consists  of  one  room,  which  serves  as  kitchen,  din- 
ing room,  and  bedroom. 

As  soon  as  a  baby  is  born,  the  father  waves  a 
fowl  over  it,  then  takes  the  fowl  outside  and  kills  it. 
Then  it  is  cooked,  and  eaten  by  the  parents  and  any 
friends  who  may  happen  to  be  there.  This  is  sup- 
posed to  bring  good  luck  to  the  child.  Sometimes 
the  child  is  not  named  until  it  is  about  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age.  Until  then,  it  is  known  by  a  pet 
name.  The  Sea  Dyak  is  fond  of  his  children,  and 
treats  them  very  kindly.  They  in  turn  are  fond  of 
their  parents.  It  is  seldom  that  children  are  chas- 


DUSUN  WOMEN  POUNDING  RICE 


(41) 


42  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

tised  for  being  naughty.  As  they  grow  older,  one 
would  think  they  would  be  hard  to  manage  on  ac- 
count of  being  spoiled  in  childhood;  but  they  do 
what  their  parents  require  of  them.  When  a  boy 
reaches  the  age  of  ten,  he  proudly  goes  to  work  with 
his  father,  and  helps  him  all  he  can.  The  little  girl 
helps  her  mother  cook  and  wash,  and  works  like  a 
little  woman. 

The  population  of  British  North  Borneo  is  very 
scanty,  and  large  areas  in  the  interior  and  on  the 
east  coast  are  not  inhabited.  The  west  coast  is  more 
thickly  populated.  The  shortage  on  the  east  coast 
is  the  direct  result  of  piracy  and  head-hunting  in 
the  olden  days.  In  the  interior  and  on  the  west 
coast  are  found  the  Dusuns,  or  Sun  Dyaks,  the  main 
tribe  of  British  North  Borneo.  This  tribe  is  divided 
up  into  many  tribes  and  sections,  including  the 
Roongas,  the  Kooroories,  the  Umpoolooms,  the  Saga 
Sagas,  the  Tunbunwhas,  the  Tingaras,  and  the 
Roomanows.  The  Dusun  darat  (far  interior)  is 
little  better  than  a  savage.  Nearer  the  coast,  the 
Dusun  is  more  civilized,  both  in  his  way  of  dress- 
ing and  in  his  manners.  Nobody  seems  to  know 
much  about  the  Dusuns,  and  as  yet,  no  satisfactory 
account  has  been  written  of  them,  or  of  the  Dyaks 
either.  The  Dyaks  are  considered  as  the  aboriginals 
of  Borneo,  yet  they  resemble  the  Chinese  in  many 
ways.  The  Dusuns  also  seem  to  be  half  Chinese. 
While  it  is  difficult  to  find  out  just  how  much  the 
Dusuns  owe  their  ancestry  to  the  Chinese,  it  is  still 
more  difficult  to  tell,  in  some  instances,  which  are 
Dusuns  and  which  are  Dyaks  proper.  Many  of 


The  People  of  Borneo 


43 


the  Dusuns  in  the  interior  wear  the  chawat,  and  the 
women  use  brass  bracelets  and  girdles,  as  do  the 
Dyaks.  Both  Dyaks  and  the  Dusuns  have  a  fond- 
ness for  old  jars ;  and  the  Dusuns  have  had  the  cus- 


DUSUN  GIRLS,  WEST  COAST 


torn  of  head-hunting,  like  the  Dyaks.  The  methods 
used  by  the  Dusuns  in  tilling  the  ground  are  far 
superior  to  those  used  by  other  natives  of  Borneo, 
and  it  is  thought  that  this  is  due  to  the  influence  of 
the  Chinese. 

The  general  idea  is  that  long  ago,  when  the  Chi- 
nese junks  came  to  Borneo  in  search  of  spices  and 


44  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

birds'  nests,  many  Chinese  sailors  and  traders  mar- 
ried women  of  the  country  and  settled  down,  thus 
mixing,  by  degrees,  the  Chinese  and  the  native 
blood.  They  brought  many  of  their  customs,  which 
remain  to  this  day.  The  Chinese  language,  which 
was  probably  too  hard  for  the  native  to  acquire, 
was  not  adopted,  the  Chinese  using  the  native 
language  instead. 

The  Dusuns  are  very  superstitious,  and  are 
guided  in  all  things  by  omens  and  dreams.  If  a 
man  starting  out  on  a  journey  happens  to  see  a 
certain  bird  flying  to  the  left,  he  returns  home,  and 
starts  out  again  the  next  day.  If  the  bird  flies  to 
the  right,  he  continues  his  journey  without  fear.  A 
man  starting  on  a  journey  may  leave  undone  some- 
thing he  would  have  liked  to  do,  such  as  chewing 
his  sirih  (betel  nut,  lime,  and  pepper  leaves),  or 
smoking  a  cigarette.  If  a  scorpion  stings  him,  or 
some  other  mishap  befalls  him,  he  says  at  once  that 
it  is  because  he  left  home  without  satisfying  his 
desire.  When  a  piece  of  jungle  is  cleared  for  a  rice 
field,  a  few  trees  are  left  standing  for  the  spirits  to 
rest  in,  lest  they  should  be  angry  and  curse  the  crop. 

The  Dusuns  love  dancing.  During  abundant 
harvests,  they  dance  all  night,  night  after  night, 
in  every  village.  The  men  together  and  the  women 
together  holding  hands,  they  form  rings  and  circle 
around  and  around  in  a  slow,  monotonous  way,  sing- 
ing or  chanting.  The  tribes  on  the  coast  live  in 
separate  houses,  with  a  few  families  in  each  house. 
In  the  interior,  the  long  house  is  used,  and  accommo- 
dates twenty  or  more  families.  This  is  raised  off 


The  People  of  Borneo 


45 


the  ground  on  long  poles.  The  space  under  the 
house  is  occupied  by  chickens  and  goats.  A  notched 
pole  is  used  as  steps,  and  the  native  does  not  find 
it  difficult  to  mount  this  with  his  naked  toes.  The 
Dusuns  are  a  quiet  people.  The  word  "Dusun" 
means  "garden"  or  "orchard."  They  are  fond  of 


DUSUN  WEDDING  GROUP,  BRIDE  IN  CENTER 

working  their  gardens,  and  seem  to  shun  associat- 
ing with  other  races  and  tribes.  In  fact,  it  is 
thought  that  this  shyness  is  what  drove  them  back 
into  the  hills.  Under  the  British  North  Borneo 
Company's  influence,  all  bloodthirsty  tendencies 
have  been  abandoned  by  them,  and  they  show  every 
symptom  of  thriving  under  a  firm  government. 

On  the  east  coast  of  British  North  Borneo  are 
found  the  Bajaus,  or  Sea  Gypsies.  They  are  a  lazy, 
irresponsible  race,  building  their  houses  over  the 


46 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


water,  but  living  almost  entirely  in  their  boats. 
They  are  of  Malay  origin,  although  much  darker 
and  larger  than  the  Malays.  Taking  each  day  as  it 
comes,  and  never  troubling  about  what  is  going  to 
happen  to-morrow,  they  pick  up  a  scanty  living 
along  the  seashore,  catching  fish,  and  finding  turtles' 


BAJAUS    (SEA  GYPSIES) 


eggs,  clams,  and  sea  slugs.  They  lead  a  wild,  rov- 
ing life  in  the  open  air,  plundering  and  robbing  at 
every  opportunity.  It  was  a  subdivision  of  this 
tribe  which  infested  the  seas  from  Makassar,  Ba- 
tavia,  and  Singapore,  in  the  south,  to  Manila  in  the 
north,  in  the  days  when  the  old  Spanish  galleons 
sailed  to  the  East  Indies  in  search  of  the  riches  of 
the  East.  One  of  their  strongholds  was  in  San- 


48  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

dakan  Bay,  and  it  is  said  that  there  are  some  people 
now  living  in  Sandakan  who  are  descendants  of 
those  who  were  kidnaped  from  distant  parts  and 
sold  in  the  old  times.  The  last  pirate  raid  along  the 
coast  of  Borneo  was  in  1879,  when  sixty-five  per- 
sons were  murdered  or  carried  off.  Since  the  Brit- 
ish government  took  control,  piracy  has  completely 
stopped. 

The  weapons  used  by  the  Bajaus  are  a  long  knife, 
a  spear,  a  round  shield,  and  a  long,  light  lance  made 
of  bamboo,  with  a  sharp  wooden  spike  on  the  end. 
This  is  called  a  tumbleloosow.  The  Bajaus  can  hurl 
this  from  fifty  to  sixty  yards.  Naturally  lazy  and 
unruly,  the  Bajaus  do  not  trouble  to  make  things, 
as  other  natives  do,  although  they  make  their  own 
clothes.  The  men  and  the  women  wear  wide  trou- 
sers made  of  brightly  colored  cloth.  Over  these  is 
worn  the  sarong  (skirt).  Strange  to  say,  many  of 
these  sarongs  are  of  Scotch  design  —  the  Bruce  and 
Stuart  tartans. 

The  villages  near  the  coast  and  at  the  mouths  of 
rivers  are  inhabited  by  Sulus,  Illanos,  and  Bugis. 
These  are  not  natives  of  Borneo.  The  Sulus  and  the 
Illanos  are  from  the  Sulu  Archipelago,  and  the 
Bugis  are  from  the  Celebes.  The  Sulus  are  very 
lazy,  independent,  and  troublesome.  Yet  they  are 
very  brave,  and  make  the  best  sailors  and  traders 
among  the  islands.  The  Illanos  were  pirates  in  the 
olden  days. 

A  very  low  race  called  the  Muruts  live  in  the  in- 
terior, on  a  mountain  range  near  the  west  coast. 
These  people  simply  will  not  work.  They  eat  any 


50  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

food  they  can  put  their  hands  on.  No  matter  how 
dirty  an  article  of  food  may  be,  and  no  matter  how 
long  an  animal  may  be  dead,  it  is  all  the  same  to 
the  Muruts ;  they  eat  it  and  seem  to  enjoy  it. 

The  Kadayans  are  found  on  the  shores  of  Brunei 
Bay,  in  British  North  Borneo.  These  are  a  small 
tribe,  and  are  of  Brunei  origin.  Next  to  the  Dusuns, 
they  are  the  most  industrious  natives  in  Borneo. 

The  natives  living  in  Brunei  are  called  after  the 
name  of  their  country.  They  too  are  very  lazy;  but 
when  they  have  a  mind  to  work,  they  make  good 
fishermen. 

In  addition  to  these  natives,  there  are  many  Chi- 
nese in  British  North  Borneo.  Of  all  natives  in  the 
East,  the  Chinese  are  the  most  industrious.  They 
form  the  backbone  of  all  business  affairs.  The 
shops  are  kept  by  them;  the  rice  fields  are  worked 
by  them ;  the  coolie  work  is  done  by  them ;  in  fact,  all 
business  is  carried  on  by  them.  They  clerk  in  the 
stores,  in  the  warehouses,  in  the  post  and  telegraph 
offices.  Without  them,  all  business  would  cease. 

There  are  also  a  few  Malays  and  Javanese  in 
British  North  Borneo.  The  former  are  naturally 
lazy,  and  do  not  care  to  work.  The  Javanese  make 
fairly  good  gardeners  for  the  Europeans. 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  Sago  Palm 

WONDER  how  many  of  my  young 
readers  know  where  sago  comes  from! 
Would  you  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
it  is  obtained  from  a  huge  tree,  and 
that  nearly  all  the  sago  comes  from 
Borneo?  The  sago  palm  is  characteristic  of  Borneo, 
not  only  by  its  abundance,  but  by  its  beauty.  Some- 
times it  grows  fifty  feet  in  height.  In  the  interior, 
it  is  found  growing  vigorously  along  the  banks  of 
rivers,  and  in  huge  forests  on  swampy  land.  It  is 
also  found  in  large  tracts  along  the  muddy  coast. 
The  native  name  for  the  sago  palm  is  rumbiah. 
There  are  two  kinds  known  in  Borneo.  One  variety 
has  a  trunk  without  any  spines  or  spikes.  The 
trunk  of  the  other  is  armed  with  long,  strong  spikes. 
These  preserve  it,  when  young,  from  the  ravages  of 
wild  pigs,  which  abound  in  all  parts  of  Borneo. 
What  you  know  as  sago  is  obtained  in  the  form  of 
fine  white  flour  from  the  heart  of  the  palm.  About 
six  to  eight  years  after  the  time  of  planting,  the 
terminal  spike  of  the  flower  appears.  The  palm  is 
then  cut  down  at  the  root,  and  divided  into  lengths 
of  six  to  eight  feet.  These  are  hauled  by  buffaloes 
or  floated  down  the  rivers  to  the  factories,  where 
the  crude  sago  is  prepared. 

The   factories   are   usually   built   near   running 
water.    Sometimes  they  are  to  be  found  near  stag- 

(51) 


52  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

nant  water.  The  pith  is  obtained  by  the  use  of  a 
rude  saw  made  from  a  board  eight  inches  wide,  with 
nails  driven  diagonally  across.  This  is  drawn  back 
and  forth  across  the  log,  and  the  pith  falls  to  the 
ground,  looking  somewhat  like  planers'  shavings. 
It  is  picked  up  in  baskets  and  placed  on  mats  over 
a  trough  by  the  waterside.  The  water  is  drawn  up 
by  means  of  a  long  pole  set  in  a  fork  made  of  two 
bamboo  poles,  a  pail  on  one  end  and  a  heavy  weight 
on  the  other.  The  pail  is  lowered  to  the  water,  and 
the  weight  at  the  other  end  draws  it  up.  Water  is 
constantly  poured  over  the  pith  on  the  mats,  and 
a  rough  separation  of  the  starch  from  the  woody 
matter  is  effected  by  the  natives'  jumping  up  and 
down  on  it,  treading  it  out  with  their  feet.  The 
starch  runs  off  with  the  water  into  the  trough  below. 
The  woody  matter  is  thrown  away  or  given  to  the 
pigs  for  food.  The  water  is  allowed  to  run  off  from 
the  trough,  the  sediment  sinking  to  the  bottom. 

At  this  stage,  the  sago  is  known  as  lamunta 
(raw),  and  is  of  a  grayish  color.  It  is  made  up 
into  packages  of  ten  to  thirty  pounds,  and  taken  to 
the  Chinese  factories,  where  it  is  washed  until  it  is 
white.  Loads  of  sago  are  hauled  in  small  flat- 
bottomed  boats  over  land  and  water  by  buffaloes, 
owners  astride.  Sometimes  the  natives  bring  their 
sago  in  their  boats,  which  are  made  from  the  trunks 
of  trees,  hollowed  out  by  burning. 

I  wish  you  could  visit  a  sago  factory.  Perhaps 
if  you  did,  you  would  not  care  to  eat  sago  again. 
That  was  the  way  I  felt  for  a  long  time.  Outside 
the  factory,  there  are  huge  bins  of  raw  sago,  which 


54 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


looks  like  mud.  The  odor  is  much  like  that  of  a 
tannery.  Inside  the  factory  are  immense  vats,  into 
which  the  raw  sago  is  emptied.  Water  is  poured  in, 
and  the  mixture  is  stirred  with  a  wooden  paddle, 
then  emptied  into  a  large  trough  similar  to  a  water- 
ing trough  with  one  end  out.  A  board  about  three 
inches  wide 'is  placed  in  the  open  end,  with  a  cloth 


CRUDE  SAGO  FACTORY 


stretched  across,  leading  to  another  vat.  The  sago 
from  the  first  vat  is  then  put  into  this  watering 
trough.  The  little  board  at  the  end  dams  up  the 
water.  Some  of  the  sago  sinks  to  the  bottom,  while 
the  remainder  passes  with  the  water  through  the 
cloth  into  the  next  vat.  From  here,  the  process  is 
repeated,  sometimes  as  many  as  twenty  times.  At 
the  last  trough,  the  water,  no  longer  containing 


56  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

sago,  is  allowed  to  run  off.  The  sago  now  resembles 
wet  cornstarch,  and  is  placed  on  mats  and  put  in 
the  sun  to  dry. 

The  dried  sago  is  put  into  sacks  and  shipped  to 
Singapore;  and  there  it  is  either  converted  into  the 
pearl  sago  sold  in  stores,  or  is  shipped  to  all  parts  of 
the  world.  Sago  in  the  form  of  fine  white  flour  is 
used  largely  for  sizing  cloth  and  in  the  preparation 
of  candy. 

A  full-grown  sago  palm  is  said  to  produce,  with  a 
few  days'  labor,  650  pounds  of  excellent  food,  or 
enough  to  furnish  nourishment  for  a  man  for  a 
whole  year.  The  sago  flour,  boiled  into  a  paste,  is 
used  as  food  in  some  villages  when  rice  is  scarce.  It 
is  also  used  by  the  Chinese  as  starch.  If  the  sago 
palm  is  allowed  to  flower  and  seed,  the  pith  dries  up 
and  is  useless,  and  the  tree  dies.  The  seeds  are  un- 
productive; but  each  palm  gives  off  numerous  off- 
shoots, which  take  the  place  of  the  parent  tree. 
These  in  turn  leave  a  family  behind,  and  thus  sago 
is  inexhaustible. 


CHAPTER  V 

Edible  "Birds'  Nests 

N  arriving  in  a  strange  land,  one  is 
naturally  interested  in  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  the  people,  and  in  ob- 
serving their  strange  habits  and  cus- 
toms. Things  that  appear  very  queer 
to  us  at  first,  become  familiar  in  the  course  of  time, 
and  we  learn  to  accept  them  as  a  part  of  the  regu- 
lar routine. 

In  Borneo,  one  of  the  first  sights  that  attract  the 
newcomer  is  the  long  rows  of  shops  on  the  sides 
of  the  streets,  with  their  eatables  exposed  for  sale. 
In  America,  we  are  accustomed  to  see  glass  windows 
in  front  of  the  stores;  and  inside,  edibles  kept  in 
packages  or  in  glass  cases,  free  from  dust  and  flies. 
The  ordinary  Chinese  store  has  no  glass  windows 
or  show  cases.  During  the  day,  the  entire  front  of 
the  shop  is  open,  and  the  goods  are  exposed  to  the 
mercy  of  the  flies  and  to  the  dirty  hands  and  noses 
of  the  passers-by. 

As  we  enter,  many  strange  looking  and  evil 
smelling  articles  greet  the  eye  and  the  nose.  Above 
the  counter,  perhaps  there  is  a  string  of  dried  rats 
or  fish.  If  you  could  peep  into  the  dirty  boxes  on 
the  shelves,  most  likely  you  would  find  dried  lizards 
or  deer  horns.  In  front  of  the  shop,  near  the  side- 
walk, bags  of  flour  and  sugar  stand  open.  Natives, 
passing  by,  stop  to  pick  up  a  handful  of  either  or 

(57) 


58  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

both,  to  examine  and  smell.  This  is  thrown  back 
into  the  bag,  and  the  next  man  coming  along  does 
the  same  thing.  In  addition  to  this,  swarms  of  flies 
hover  around,  attracted,  no  doubt,  by  the  odor  of 
ancient  duck  eggs,  sharks'  fins,  beche  de  mer 
(dried  sea  slugs),  turtles'  eggs,  edible  birds'  nests, 
and  other  Chinese  delicacies  that  are  jumbled  to- 
gether close  by. 

One  of  the  strangest  articles  of  food,  and  one  that 
is  prized  very  highly  by  the  Chinese,  is  edible  bird's 
nest.  This  is  considered  not  only  as  an  article  of 
food,  but  as  a  tonic,  and  as  a  remedy  for  consump- 
tion. It  is  also  used  for  restoring  opium  smokers, 
and  for  building  up  convalescents  after  a  long 
illness. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  nests.  The  best  are 
quite  white.  These  are  collected  after  they  have 
been  finished  by  the  birds,  but  before  the  eggs  are 
laid.  The  second  quality  consist  of  nests  that  have 
been  used,  but  in  which  the  eggs  have  not  been 
hatched;  the  third  contain  adhering  feathers.  The 
first  and  second  qualities  are  known  as  white 
(puteh) ;  the  third,  as  black  (hitam).  It  is  said 
that  the  white  and  the  black  nests  are  made  by  dif- 
ferent birds.  In  the  black  nests,  pieces  of  seaweed 
and  moss  are  found  embedded  in  the  layers  with  the 
feathers. 

There  seems  to  be  some  doubt  as  to  the  exact 
species  that  build  these  nests,  but  all  are  agreed  that 
they  are  built  by  small  swifts,  which  select  large 
caves  for  building  in.  The  nests  are  usually  found 
in  large  limestone  caverns  near  the  seashore  or 


Edible  Birds'  Nests  59 

farther  inland.  Some  of  these  caves  are  very  dark, 
while  in  others  there  is  more  or  less  light,  which 
creeps  in  through  the  entrance  or  through  cracks. 
The  nests  are  collected  twice  a  year.  In  some  places, 
the  collecting  is  done  at  night,  to  avoid  the  intense 
heat  during  the  day.  The  work  of  collecting  is  very 
risky ;  but  the  natives  are  adepts  at  it,  and  accidents 
seldom  occur.  The  men  have  to  climb  the  wet  and 
slippery  sides  of  a  cave  to  the  roof,  and  with  the 
aid  of  slings  and  ladders,  move  around  like  flies  on 
the  ceiling,  in  utter  darkness,  or  in  the  dim  light. 

The  nests  are  not  white  when  collected.  Often 
they  are  brown  and  discolored  where  they  have  been 
attached  to  the  rocks.  They  have  to  be  cleaned  be- 
fore being  put  on  the  market.  The  white  nests  are 
used  in  making  soup,  and  the  black  nests  are  used 
in  making  a  certain  kind  of  glue.  At  first,  there 
was  doubt  as  to  what  the  nests  were  composed  of. 
Some  thought  they  were  made  of  seaweed  collected 
by  the  birds.  Now  it  has  been  settled  that  they  are 
made  from  salivary  matter  secreted  by  the  birds, 
similar  to  that  used  by  swallows  in  binding  together 
the  clay  of  which  their  nests  are  made. 

One  of  the  principal  bird's  nest  caves  in  Borneo 
is  called  Gomanton.  It  yields  over  $25,000  worth  a 
year.  Near  the  entrance  to  this  cave,  at  sunset, 
clouds  of  birds  hover,  waiting  for  darkness  to  come 
on.  All  at  once,  there  is  heard  a  peculiar  humming ; 
and  with  a  whir,  the  bats  come  out  and  the  birds 
fly  in.  The  floors  are  covered  with  a  large  amount 
of  guano,  the  deposits  of  thousands  of  birds  and 
bats  for  centuries.  It  is  said  that  in  some  of  these 


60  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

bird's  nest  caves,  rudely  carved  figures  and  molder- 
ing  coffins  are  to  be  seen.  Some  of  these  coffins  are 
resting  on  ledges  of  the  rocks  at  a  high  elevation. 
They  are  supposed  to  have  been  left  there  a  long 
time  ago  by  an  old  tribe  called  Sabahans. 

Most  of  these  caves  are  owned  by  natives,  and  the 
ownership  has  been  handed  down  from  one  genera- 
tion to  another.  In  some  cases,  the  government  has 
confiscated  the  caves  when  their  owners  have  been 
implicated  in  uprisings.  These  are  let  out  to  other 
natives. 

One  afternoon,  while  I  was  walking  along  the 
board  walk  over  the  edge  of  the  bay,  my  attention 
was  attracted  to  numerous  piles  of  small  brown 
objects  that  Chinese  merchants  were  sorting.  Pick- 
ing up  one  to  investigate,  I  found  that  they  were 
birds'  nests  just  brought  in  from  the  caves  on  the 
other  side  of  the  bay.  On  looking  closely,  I  saw  that 
the  nest  was  covered  with  vermin,  dropped  by  the 
bats.  I  asked  what  the  value  of  the  nests  on  the 
board  walk  was  estimated  at,  and  was  told  they  were 
worth  over  $35,000  gold.  From  this  amount,  the 
government  had  collected  $7,000  commission.  Only 
a  few  of  these  nests  are  used  in  Borneo.  Most  of 
them  are  sent  to  China,  where  the  wealthy  men  pay 
a  large  sum  for  them. 


CHAPTER  VI 


BOUT  six  years  ago,  while  traveling  by 
the  steamship  "Sandakan"  from  Singa- 
pore to  Borneo,  Mr.  Mershon  became 
acquainted  with  an  Englishman  who 
was  manager  of  a  large  rubber  estate 
at  Tuaran,  near  Mount  Kinabalu.  One  day,  while 
they  were  talking  of  mission  work  in  Borneo,  this 
man  invited  Mr.  Mershon  to  visit  him  at  his  estate. 
He  was  anxious  to  have  some  one  come  in  among 
the  Dusuns  to  teach  them  to  read  and  write,  and  to 
treat  them  when  they  were  ill.  Until  last  year,  it 
had  not  been  possible  to  accept  the  kind  invitation. 
In  the  month  of  August,  when  on  a  trip  to  the  west 
coast,  Mr.  Mershon  met  the  Englishman  again,  and 
the  invitation  was  renewed  with  increased  earnest- 
ness. Last  December,  when  on  the  west  coast,  we 
were  detained  in  Jesselton  for  a  few  days,  waiting 
for  a  boat  to  take  us  home  to  Sandakan.  Thinking 
the  time  would  be  wisely  spent  in  visiting  the  estate, 
we  telephoned  to  see  if  it  would  be  convenient  for 
the  manager  to  have  us  come  at  that  time.  He  was 
very  much  pleased  to  have  us  come,  and  made  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  us  to  get  there. 

His  native  boatman  had  orders  to  call  us  at  six 
o'clock  the  next  morning.  Experience  has  taught 
us  that  "the  East  never  hurries";  so  we  were  not 

(61) 


62  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

surprised  at  six-thirty  to  hear  a  soft  Malay  voice 
calling,  "Tuan!  Tuan!  Sampan  sedia!"  (Master! 
Master!  The  boat  is  ready!)  Hastily  dressing,  we 
started  for  the  boat.  Everything  was  quiet.  The 
cool  morning  air  was  very  refreshing  after  a  hot 
night  spent  in  the  hotel.  Slipping  down  the  sea 
wall  into  the  boat,  we  found  everything  in  readi- 
ness. Cushions  had  been  placed  in  the  stern  for  us 
to  sit  on,  and  a  canopy  was  provided  to  shelter  us 
from  the  fierce  rays  of  the  tropical  sun.  A  Dusun 
sat  in  the  stern,  using  a  paddle  to  steer.  Four  Du- 
suns  sat  in  front  to  paddle.  Soon  we  were  on  our 
way,  and  we  settled  down  to  eat  our  breakfast  of 
egg  sandwiches,  which  we  had  persuaded  the  Chi- 
nese boy  at  the  hotel  to  let  us  have  the  night  before. 
The  wind  and  the  tide  were  against  us,  and  we 
made  slow  progress.  The  natives  rowed  hard  for 
a  time;  then  one  or  the  other  would  relax  and  let 
the  others  do  the  work.  The  man  immediately  in 
front  of  us  kept  taking  off  his  hat  to  find  something 
in  his  hair.  After  a  few  frantic  efforts,  he  pulled 
out  something  between  his  fingers,  looked  at  it 
rather  tenderly,  and  bit  it  with  his  front  teeth. 
This  little  performance  was  repeated  many  times 
during  the  trip;  and  judging  from  appearances,  he 
must  have  had  a  large  supply. 

After  two  hours'  rowing,  we  left  Gaya  Island 
behind  us;  and  as  we  rounded  a  point  of  land  op- 
posite Sapangar  Island,  Jesselton  was  lost  to  view. 
Passing  into  Sapangar  Bay,  we  saw  several  rubber 
estates  and  a  number  of  native  huts  on  the  main- 
land. Sometimes  we  could  see  little  dark-skinned 


A  Trip  to  the  Foothills  of  Kinabalu 


63 


faces  peering  at  us  from  under  the  beautiful  coco- 
nut palms.  Before  long,  we  were  alarmed  to  hear 
a  crunching  noise,  as  if  the  boat  were  passing  over 
a  rock.  Looking  down  into  the  transparent  water, 
we  could  see  a  huge  bed  of  coral.  The  natives  were 
quite  unconcerned.  They  had  been  this  way  before, 
and  this  was  nothing  new  to  them.  Before  we 


MAP  SHOWING  TRIP  TO  RUBBER  ESTATE 

reached  our  destination,  we  found  that  there  were 
many  beds  of  coral  to  row  over. 

At  last,  we  reached  a  small  fishing  village  called 
Gentisan.  The  boat  was  pushed  against  the  rocks 
on  the  beach,  and  over  these  we  climbed  to  the  shore. 
Here  we  were  met  by  some  Bajaus,  who  had  orders 
to  carry  our  suitcase  and  guide  us  on  our  way. 
We  were  informed  that  a  boat  was  waiting  for  us 
on  the  other  side  of  a  steep  hill  —  Kaetan  Peak — 
just  in  front  of  us.  We  began  to  climb,  but  it 


64  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

seemed  as  if  we  should  never  reach  the  top.  When 
finally  we  were  at  the  summit,  and  looked  down  on 
the  road  ahead  of  us,  that  seemed  worse  than  the 
one  we  had  just  climbed.  Huge  ruts  were  washed 
out,  and  we  had  to  pick  our  way  as  well  as  we 
could. 

Reaching  the  water's  edge,  we  found  that  it  would 
be  almost  impossible  to  get  through  the  slimy  mud 
between  us  and  the  boat.  Two  of  the  Bajaus  said  they 
would  carry  me  across;  and  clasping  hands,  they 
formed  a  chair  for  me  to  sit  on.  Remembering  the 
head-hunting  experience  on  the  other  boat,  I  sat 
very  gingerly  on  the  natives'  hands.  At  first,  I 
tried  not  to  touch  them  with  my  hands,  but  I  soon 
found  that  to  balance  myself,  I  had  to  clasp  them 
by  the  shoulders  and  hold  tight.  Several  times,  I 
got  a  whiff  of  the  odor  coming  from  their  dirty 
bodies ;  but  my  courage  was  good,  and  I  held  on  till 
we  reached  the  boat. 

Mr.  Mershon's  experience  was  a  little  different. 
He  was  persuaded  by  a  Bajau  half  his  size  to  have 
a  pick-a-back  ride,  and  it  looked  very  funny  to  see 
such  a  big  man  on  the  back  of  such  a  small  native. 

We  were  soon  on  our  journey;  but  the  wind  and 
the  tide  were  still  against  us,  and  the  natives  pulled 
hard  for  an  hour  and  a  half  before  we  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  stream. 

Although  it  was  very  hot,  we  enjoyed  our  run 
down  the  stream.  It  was  quite  interesting  to  see  the 
Bajau  villages  that  were  built  over  the  tidewater 
on  the  banks  of  the  stream.  Some  of  them  were 
very  old  and  looked  as  if  they  were  about  to  topple 


66  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

over.  All  of  them  were  very  dirty.  Brightly 
colored  sarongs  hung  on  the  railings.  Little  naked 
children  with  dusky  bodies  paddled  in  the  mud  and 
water  with  the  dogs  and  the  ducks.  Sometimes  the 
dogs  would  bark,  the  children  scream,  and  the  ducks 
squawk,  and  in  the  confusion,  all  would  disappear. 
Men  and  women  were  busy  with  long  poles,  digging 
for  clams  along  the  shore. 

Just  before  we  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  stream, 
we  saw  the  white  tops  of  the  waves  on  the  ocean. 


A  NATIVE  SAILING  BOAT 


Passing  out  of  the  stream,  and  crossing  a  small  bay, 
we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  River  Menkabong, 
called  by  the  natives  Kuala  Menkabong.  The  native 
name  for  the  mouth  of  a  river  is  kuala;  a  river  to 
them  is  sungei.  Our  small  craft  began  to  rock  like 
a  ship  far  out  at  sea.  Away  out  on  the  ocean  —  the 
South  China  Sea  —  we  could  see  a  number  of  fish- 
ing boats.  One  of  them  turned  into  the  kuala  and 


A  Trip  to  the  Foothills  of  Kinabalu          67 

caught  up  with  us  as  we  got  well  up  into  the  river. 
Then  something  interesting  happened.  Our  boat- 
men decided  that  they  were  not  going  to  let  that 
boat  get  ahead  of  us ;  so  they  put  up  their  sails,  and 
then  a  good  race  began.  Although  the  sails  carried 
us  along  at  a  fairly  swift  rate,  our  men  used  their 
paddles,  and  we  sped  through  the  water  rapidly.  Of 
course,  I  hoped  we  should  win;  and  we  did.  When 
we  reached  the  village  of  Menkabong  and  landed, 
the  other  boat  had  not  reached  the  shore. 

Our  landing  place  was  a  native  house  built  over 
the  water.  Reaching  the  path  leading  from  the 
house,  we  saw  two  Dusuns  waiting  for  us.  They 
had  ponies  for  us  to  use;  but  as  I  was  not  dressed 
for  riding,  we  decided  to  use  "Shanks'  pony."  We 
were  accustomed  to  this  way  of  traveling;  so  off 
we  started  on  another  trip,  this  time  three  miles 
by  land. 

We  had  a  narrow  path  over  which  to  travel.  On 
each  side,  fields  of  rice  were  growing  luxuriantly. 
In  some  of  the  fields,  we  saw  crude  looking  wind- 
mills, which  were  worked  by  hand.  We  learned 
that  these  were  put  in  motion  to  scare  away  the 
birds,  which  destroy  the  crops.  In  other  fields,  we 
saw  small  huts  built  in  the  center,  from  which 
strings  were  fastened  to  a  row  of  strings  around 
the  field.  Pieces  of  white  paper  were  attached  to 
these;  and  whenever  birds  alighted  on  the  rice,  the 
strings  were  operated  by  a  native  who  sat  in  the 
hut.  The  birds,  seeing  the  pieces  of  paper  suddenly 
move,  would  be  scared  and  fly  away. 


A  Trip  to  the  Foothills  of  Kinabalu  69 

We  met  a  number  of  Dusun  men  and  women  on 
the  way,  who  looked  in  wonder  to  see  a  white 
woman  walking  along  that  narrow  trail.  They  in- 
quired of  our  guides  as  to  who  we  were,  and  why 
we  were  so  stupid  as  to  walk  when  we  could  ride. 

Before  long,  a  shower  overtook  us,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  take  refuge  in  an  abandoned  native  hut, 
with  a  young  water  buffalo  and  some  stray  ponies. 
After  the  rain  ceased,  we  continued  our  journey, 
reaching  the  Tuaran  River  at  5  p.  m.  Stepping  into 
a  boat,  we  were  poled  across  the  river  by  a  young 
Dusun  boy.  Climbing  up  the  wet,  slippery  bank  on 
the  other  side  did  not  improve  our  appearance. 
After  a  short  walk  through  the  jungle,  we  arrived 
at  our  destination  footsore  and  weary. 

We  were  glad  to  have  a  wash  and  put  on  clean 
clothes.  Our  host  was  very  kind,  and  told  us  some 
interesting  facts  about  the  Dusuns.  The  next  day, 
we  walked  over  the  rubber  estate.  We  visited  the 
"coolie  lines"  —  quarters  of  the  coolies  —  and  saw 
a  large  number  of  natives  living  in  them.  Separate 
houses  are  provided  for  married  people.  We  noted 
the  smiling  faces  of  the  natives,  and  it  seemed  to  us 
that  life  to  them  on  this  estate  was  not  a  burden- 
some one.  Work  was  over  for  the  day.  Some  of 
the  natives  were  playing  games,  while  others  were 
producing  weird  airs  on  a  musical  instrument  called 
a  sumpit.  With  the  natives,  anything  they  blow 
through  is  a  sumpit.  The  blowpipe,  a  weapon  used 
by  the  Dusuns,  is  made  by  hollowing  out  the  small 
branch  of  a  tree.  This  is  called  a  sumpitan.  When 


70  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

a  Dusun  wishes  to  use  his  weapon,  he  blows  a 
poisoned  dart  through  it. 

Mount  Kinabalu  loomed  up  to  the  right  of  us, 
about  twenty  miles  in  the  distance.  I  wish  I  had 
time  to  tell  you  some  of  the  stories  the  natives 
tell  about  this  beautiful  mountain.  Some  of  the 
natives  believe  that  after  death,  they  have  to  climb 
Kinabalu.  For  the  good,  this  is  supposed  to  be 
easy;  but  for  the  wicked,  it  is  a  difficult  feat.  The 
good  ascend  at  once ;  but  the  wicked  are  left  behind, 
unsuccessfully  trying  to  scramble  up  the  rocky  sides 
of  the  mountain. 

We  learned  that  there  were  many  Dusuns  living 
in  these  parts.  Sometimes  our  friend  goes  among 
them  with  medicine  to  treat  them.  We  could  see 
that  he  was  loved  very  much  by  these  Dusuns.  We 
did  not  have  to  ask  the  reason.  Evidently  he  loved 
them  very  much,  and  the  natives  were  aware  of  it. 
These  poor  creatures  do  not  get  credit  for  knowing 
much,  but  they  are  very  bright  in  some  ways. 

The  next  morning,  we  started  on  our  return 
journey  to  Jesselton.  We  preferred  to  walk  back 
to  Menkabong;  so,  accompanied  by  a  Dusun  carry- 
ing our  suitcase,  we  started  off  about  seven  o'clock. 
We  made  the  distance  in  good  time,  and  found,  when 
we  got  to  the  boathouse,  that  there  were  a  number 
of  people  going  along  with  us.  The  cushions  were 
given  to  us  to  sit  on;  and  from  under  the  canopy, 
we  were  able  to  have  a  good  look  at  the  other  pas- 
sengers, who  were  sitting  in  the  bow.  One  was  a 
Javanese  woman  with  a  child.  The  others  were 
mostly  Chinese  kranies  (clerks)  from  the  estate. 


A  Trip  to  the  Foothills  of  Kinabalu  71 

Soon  the  child  began  to  smile  at  us,  and  before  long, 
we  were  quite  friendly.  We  had  a  good  wind  be- 
hind us,  and  were  not  long  in  getting  back  to  Kuala 
Menkabong  and  Gentisan.  The  Javanese  woman 
carried  the  child  over  the  steep  hill,  but  it  did  not 
seem  to  tire  her.  We  reached  the  boat  by  removing 
our  shoes  and  stockings  and  wading  through  the 
shallow  water. 

From  Gentisan  to  Jesselton,  we  had  the  wind  and 
the  waves  against  us  again.  The  sails  flapped  idly, 
but  the  natives  rowed  hard.  Not  meeting  with  any 
success,  one  of  them  stood  up  in  the  boat  and  called 
on  the  spirits  to  help  them.  He  chanted,  "Angin 
balk!  Angin  baik!"  (Good  wind) ;  but  it  did  not 
help  us  out.  I  believe  that  was  the  longest  boat  ride 
I  ever  had.  When  we  rounded  the  point  and  saw 
Jesselton  in  the  distance,  it  seemed  as  if  we  should 
never  reach  there.  We  could  see  our  boat,  the 
"Densamud,"  anchored  at  the  wharf,  and  we  knew 
she  was  due  to  sail  at  5  o'clock  for  Sandakan.  At 
4 : 30,  we  were  still  on  the  water.  All  of  a  sudden, 
the  wind  sprang  up,  our  sails  began  to  fill,  and  by 
4 : 45,  we  reached  the  shore.  Hurrying  to  the  hotel, 
we  called  on  some  coolies  to  come  and  carry  our 
baggage  to  the  boat,  and  we  got  there  just  in  time 
to  sail  by  her. 

Before  we  left  Tuaran,  our  friend  begged  us  to 
send  some  one  to  help  the  Dusuns,  and  offered  to 
help  support  a  missionary,  and  teach  him  the  lan- 
guage, and  introduce  him  to  the  people.  We  hope 
the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  this  call  shall  be 
answered. 


CHAPTER  VII 

Narrow  Escape 

HIS  story  I  am  going  to  tell  in  Mis- 
sionary Mershon's  own  words :  "In  No- 
vember, 1918,  we  made  our  first 
attempt  to  solicit  donations  to  carry 
on  gospel  work  in  Borneo.  Assisted 
by  Pan  Khi  Heng,  our  Chinese  evangelist  in  Sanda- 
kan,  we  met  with  good  success  in  our  home  town, 
so  I  decided  to  visit  the  small  towns  on  the  west 
coast.  It  was  the  time  of  my  regular  visit  to  that 
part  of  the  island.  Accompanied  by  Tsen  En  Fook, 
our  Chinese  evangelist  at  Jesselton,  I  spent  several 
days  traveling  and  holding  meetings.  We  reached 
Papar,  a  small  town  on  the  railway  line,  where  we 
had  promised  to  stop  off  and  visit  several  families 
who  were  interested  in  the  Bible. 

"Some  months  before  this,  I  had  received  a  letter 
from  an  Indian  man  who  lived  on  a  rubber  estate 
about  eight  miles  from  Papar.  At  the  same  time, 
he  sent  me  seventy  dollars  (Borneo  currency)  as  an 
offering  to  help  our  work.  Having  written  him  that 
I  would  call  on  him  at  the  first  opportunity,  I  re- 
solved to  keep  my  promise  at  this  time.  Arriving 
at  Papar  on  Friday  noon,  and  having  made  appoint- 
ments to  leave  for  Singapore  on  the  following  Sun- 
day, it  was  necessary  for  me  to  make  the  trip  and 
return  the  same  afternoon.  En  Fook  was  obliged  to 
return  to  Jesselton,  and  I  had  to  make  the  journey 
alone.  As  I  had  not  visited  the  estate  before,  I 

(73) 


74  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

procured  the  services  of  a  guide — a  Chinese — to 
take  me  there.  Traveling  through  the  jungle  is  not 
like  traveling  through  the  woods  at  home.  The 
trees  are  so  dense  and  the  undergrowth  so  thick, 
that  a  man  is  not  able  to  go  any  distance  without 
cutting  his  way  through.  Following  a  narrow  trail, 
which  was  crossed  by  many  other  trails,  we  made 
our  way  through  the  jungle.  After  walking  for 
three  hours  beneath  a  tropical  sun,  and  making  our 
way  through  a  heavy  shower,  we  reached  our  des- 
tination, dripping  with  rain  and  perspiration. 

"I  found  the  Indian  man  and  his  wife  at  home, 
and  both  were  very  anxious  to  hear  more  of  the 
gospel.  As  I  had  not  had  lunch,  they  placed  food 
on  the  table,  and  told  me  to  eat  while  I  talked. 
They  were  eager  to  know  more  of  the  Saviour  and 
why  He  came  to  this  earth  to  die  for  man.  They 
urged  me  to  stay  overnight,  so  that  they  might  learn 
more.  This  was  impossible.  I  had  to  hold  a  service 
at  a  little  town  near  Papar  on  the  following  day, 
and  my  appointments  were  made  to  leave  for  Singa- 
pore the  day  after. 

"Still  wearing  my  wet  clothes,  I  started  off  on  the 
return  journey  with  the  guide.  It  was  late  in  the 
day;  and  as  there  is  no  twilight  in  the  tropics,  we 
hurried  to  pass  the  Bajau  villages  before  dark.  It 
is  dangerous  for  a  man  to  pass  through  any  of  these 
villages  at  night.  I  had  in  my  pockets  $400,  which 
I  had  collected  on  my  journey  up  the  line,  and  I  was 
a  little  nervous  about  going  through  the  jungle 
with  the  darkness  coming  on.  When  we  had  gone 
half  the  way,  the  guide  told  me  he  could  not  go 


A  Narrow  Escape  75 

the  rest  of  the  distance.  The  truth  was  that  he  had 
a  friend  who  lived  close  by,  and  he  wanted  to  visit 
him.  Darkness  was  almost  upon  us,  and  there  re- 
mained two  villages  to  pass.  I  knew  it  was  useless 
for  me  to  urge  him  to  come  along,  and  although 
dreading  the  journey  alone,  I  told  him  he  could 
leave  me  there. 

"Starting  off  alone,  with  a  prayer  in  my  heart  to 
God  for  protection,  I  plunged  into  the  jungle,  with 
more  than  three  miles  yet  to  go.  Presently  a  form 
loomed  ahead  of  me.  In  the  dim  light,  I  saw  that  it 
was  a  native  with  a  huge  club  in  his  hand,  going  in 
the  same  direction.  I  did  not  want  to  pass  him ;  so, 
lessening  my  pace,  I  followed  slowly  behind.  Some 
time  elapsed,  and  he  did  not  seem  to  gain  ground; 
so  I  decided  to  pass  him  and  put  a  greater  distance 
between  us.  I  knew  that  one  blow  from  that  club 
would  kill  me,  and  after  being  relieved  of  the  money 
in  my  pocket,  my  body  would  provide  food  for  the 
crocodiles  in  the  river  close  by,  and  no  one  would  be 
the  wiser.  Fear  gripped  my  heart,  but  the  promises 
of  God  came  into  my  mind. 

"Starting  forward  and  walking  at  a  rapid  pace, 
I  soon  overtook  the  native  and  passed  him.  You  can 
imagine  my  feelings  when  I  saw  him  fall  into  step 
with  me  about  a  pace  and  a  half  behind.  Afraid  to 
run  and  thus  reveal  to  him  my  nervousness,  I  hur- 
ried still  more.  So  did  he.  I  slowed  down;  he 
slowed  down.  Again  I  hurried,  and  again  he 
hurried.  Seeing  that  I  could  not  shake  him  off,  I 
stepped  aside,  pretending  to  tie  my  shoe  laces.  He 
waited  for  me.  Not  a  word  was  said  all  this  time. 


76  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

There  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  go  ahead. 
We  got  into  step  again,  I  in  front,  and  the  native 
just  behind.  If  I  had  been  considered  a  fast  walker 
before,  this  time  I  broke  all  former  records.  On 
we  sped,  and  not  an  inch  did  I  gain.  My  feet  were 
sore,  and  my  muscles  began  to  weaken.  Soon  I  saw 
the  lights  of  Papar  in  the  distance,  and  when  we 
reached  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  my  native  com- 
panion vanished. 

"To  this  day,  I  have  never  known  whether  he  was 
an  angel  sent  to  protect  me,  or  a  native  bent  on 
hurting  me,  but  restrained  by  the  power  of  God.  I 
know  that  I  was  delivered,  and  God's  hand  was  in 
it.  Thus  we  see  the  precious  promises  fulfilled." 


A  HOME  IN  THE  JUNGLE 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Encounters  With  ThieVes 

NE  of  the  many  problems  the  mission- 
ary has  to  face  in  the  East,  is  petty 
thieving.  Seldom  is  anything  of  much 
value  taken  away  at  one  time,  but  a 
little  taken,  away  each  day  amounts 
to  a  great  deal  by  the  end  of  the  year.  On  the 
mission  grounds,  we  have  a  large  variety  of  fruit 
growing, —  mangoes,  bananas,  pineapples,  mango- 
steens,  and  passion  fruit;  but  we  rarely  have  the 
privilege  of  enjoying  it.  Just  before  it  ripens,  it 
disappears.  I  have  watched  bananas  until  they 
were  ready  to  pick,  only  to  have  them  stolen  before  I 
could  get  them  cut  and  brought  to  the  house.  Early 
in  the  season,  I  have  seen  mangosteens  in  the  market 
which  I  knew  came  from  our  grounds,  as  our  trees 
are  the  only  ones  in  Sandakan;  and  I  have  been 
asked  ten  cents  each  for  them. 

Not  only  on  the  grounds  are  we  robbed.  In  the 
house,  it  is  not  unusual  to  miss  sugar,  flour,  salt, 
kerosene  oil,  cooking  oil,  matches,  and  soap.  These 
are  pilfered  steadily  by  the  cup,  or  the  tablespoon, 
or  the  box.  The  native  servants  think  this  is  the 
way  to  do;  and  as  they  do  not  know  any  better — 
no  matter  how  much  we  try  to  show  them  it  is 
wrong  —  it  continues.  I  have  offered  our  servant 
some  of  these  articles  if  she  would  ask  me  for  them, 
but  it  is  useless.  The  Europeans  submit  to  this 

(77) 


78  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

order  of  things,  as  there  is  nothing  else  to  do.  All 
servants  are  alike,  and  a  change  might  make  mat- 
ters worse. 

Early  one  morning,  the  tuan  padre — the  natives' 
name  for  Mr.  Mershon — was  awakened  by  the 
shaking  of  a  mango  tree  just  outside  the  window. 
At  first,  he  thought  it  was  the  wind ;  but  as  the 
breeze  did  not  come  in  through  the  window,  he  de- 
cided to  investigate.  Not  waiting  to  dress,  he  went 
down  the  back  stairs,  stopping  only  to  pick  up  a 
broom  handle.  Sure  enough,  a  Chinese  was  under 
the  tree,  causing  the  disturbance.  Hearing  ap- 
proaching footsteps,  he  began  to  run,  with  a  basket 
of  mangoes  on  his  back.  Mr.  Mershon,  taking  a 
short  cut  behind  the  house,  caught  him  on  the  hill. 
When  asked  where  he  got  the  fruit,  the  man  replied 
that  he  got  it  at  home.  The  tuan  padre  asked  how 
that  could  be,  as  the  sap  was  still  oozing  from  the 
stems ;  and  catching  hold  of  the  fellow,  he  invited  him 
to  come  to  the  house.  Thereupon  the  thief  dropped 
his  basket  and  began  to  argue.  Then  he  jerked  him- 
self from  his  captor's  grasp  and  ran.  The  tuan 
padre  gave  chase,  but  stumbling  over  a  hillock,  fell, 
and  the  thief  escaped.  Since  then,  we  have  often 
met  this  man  on  the  road,  and  several  times  we  have 
heard  him  say  to  his  companions,  "Here  comes  the 
man  who  beat  me  with  the  broom  handle." 

One  evening,  Cromo,  our  kebun  (gardener),  ac- 
companied by  a  kindred  spirit,  brought  a  thief  to 
the  house,  explaining  that  he  had  found  him  up  a 
tarap  tree  stealing  the  fruit.  We  did  not  think  the 
kebun  had  any  desire  to  do  us  a  good  turn,  as  he 


Encounters  with  Thieves  79 

and  his  wife  and  friends  had  a  great  weakness  for 
tarap.  This  is  a  tropical  fruit  with  a  very  strong 
flavor,  and  for  which  the  natives  have  a  great  fond- 
ness. We  looked  at  the  thief — a  Chinese  —  and 
recognized  him  as  one  who  had  been  troubling  us  a 
good  deal.  We  had  tried  kindness,  and  found  it  to 
be  of  no  avail.  This  time,  we  thought  we  would 
teach  him  a  lesson.  We  sent  Cromo  to  call  the 
mata-mata  (policeman) ;  and  as  is  usual,  he  could 
not  be  found.  The  thief  began  to  be  impatient,  and 
wanted  to  run  away.  Thinking  of  an  old  air  gun 
upstairs,  I  brought  it  down  and  placed  it  where  he 
could  see  it,  but  beyond  his  reach.  This  had  the  de- 
sired effect;  he  sat  down  quietly  and  waited.  We 
telephoned  to  the  police  station,  and  soon  a  native 
policeman  came  and  took  him  off  to  prison. 
Next  morning,  in  the  police  court,  the  magistrate 
asked  him,  "What  were  you  doing  at  the  top  of  the 
missionary's  tarap  tree  last  night?"  "Cutting 
grass,"  was  the  reply.  "Six  weeks'  rigorous  im- 
prisonment" was  the  sentence;  which  meant  that 
for  six  weeks,  he  would  break  rocks,  with  rice  and 
salt  to  eat,  and  water  to  drink. 

On  another  occasion,  two  young  fox  terrier  dogs 
—  Growler  and  Brownie — helped  us  capture  a 
thief,  a  Chinese  who  for  years  had  been  robbing  our 
grounds.  Returning  from  the  town  one  day,  we 
heard  the  dogs  barking,  and  noticed  they  were  act- 
ing in  an  excited  manner.  They  came  to  the  back 
door  where  I  was  standing,  and  they  seemed  to  want 
me  to  go  with  them.  Rather  curious,  I  followed. 
They  rushed  down  the  terrace  at  the  rear  of  the 


80  With  the  Wild  Men  of  .Borneo 

house.  I  saw  some  sticks  thrown  from  behind  a 
mango  tree,  at  the  approaching  dogs.  Following 
the  dogs,  I  saw  them  make  a  jump  at  a  Chinese  who 
was  hiding  there  with  a  basket  of  fruit.  He  had 
a  large  knife  in  his  hand,  with  which  he  was  trying 
to  defend  himself  from  them.  Another  knife  lay 
in  the  basket.  Calling  the  dogs  off,  I  asked  him 
what  he  was  doing  there.  He  told  me  a  long  story, 
hoping  to  gain  my  sympathy.  I  called  the  tuan 
padre,  meanwhile  watching  closely  the  knife  in  the 
thief's  hand  while  both  of  us  pulled  at  the  basket. 
Mr.  Mershon  seemed  ages  in  coming,  though  in 
reality  he  was  only  a  few  minutes.  When  he  ar- 
rived, he  told  the  Chinese  to  walk  ahead  of  him  to 
the  entrance  of  the  grounds,  where  the  mata-mata 
usually  walked  his  beat.  To  our  surprise,  the 
policeman  was  there.  Handing  the  thief  over  to 
him,  we  returned  to  the  house.  The  magistrate 
sentenced  the  man  to  six  weeks'  rigorous  imprison- 
ment, and  told  him  if  he  was  caught  stealing  again, 
he  would  be  banished  from  the  state.  He  was  an 
"old  offender,"  and  the  kebun  and  his  wife  thought 
the  mem  (mistress)  was  very  brani  (clever)  to 
catch  him.  It  appears  he  had  threatened  them 
both  when  they  had  caught  him  stealing  at  differ- 
ent times. 

I  want  to  tell  you  of  another  time  when  we  were 
protected  from  thieves  by  Brownie,  the  female 
terrier.  On  this  occasion,  the  tuan  padre  and  Elder 
Youngberg  were  away  on  the  west  coast.  A  few 
days  before,  Growler  had  died;  and  I  could  not 
make  up  my  mind  as  to  whether  he  had  been 


Encounters  with  Thieves  81 

poisoned  by  the  natives,  or  a  snake  had  bitten 
him.  For  some  time,  we  had  been  having  repairs 
made  on  the  house.  Painters  were  passing  in  and 
out,  and  electricians  were  putting  in  electric  lights. 
In  addition  to  all  this,  some  coolies  had  come  to  the 
house  to  carry  the  tuan  padre's  trunk  to  the  boat. 
The  trunk  was  taken  from  the  room  where  we  kept 
the  safe.  The  workmen  were  all  Chinese,  and  per- 
haps some  of  them  entered  the  house ;  but  I  have  al- 
ways felt  that  the  coolies  were  the  guilty  parties. 

Mrs.  Youngberg  and  the  children  and  I  had  re- 
tired early.  Late  in  the  night,  Mrs.  Youngberg  was 
disturbed  by  the  noise  of  some  one  jumping  on  some 
lumber  that  was  under  the  window  downstairs  on 
her  side  of  the  house.  Listening  carefully,  she 
heard  Brownie  growling  and  snarling  in  the  hall  at 
the  bottom  of  the  stairs.  Presently  she  heard  a 
man's  voice  exclaiming,  "A  ya!  A  ya!"  (a  Chinese 
expression  of  surprise),  and  then  the  noise  of  a  man 
jumping  through  the  window.  It  is  probable  that 
Brownie  had  bitten  him  on  the  ankle.  Soon  after, 
she  heard  voices  like  Chinese  speaking  Malay  under 
the  trees.  Then  all  was  quiet.  While  this  was  go- 
ing on,  Mrs.  Youngberg  came  to  my  door  several 
times  to  waken  me;  but  something  impelled  her  not 
to  disturb  me.  I  slept  in  the  room  where  the  safe 
was  kept. 

The  next  morning,  when  I  opened  the  door  for 
Brownie  to  come  into -my  room,  she  almost  devoured 
me.  Licking  my  hands  and  wagging  her  stumpy 
tail,  she  looked  up  into  my  face  as  if  expecting 
something.  I  remarked  to  Mrs.  Youngberg  how 


82 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


strangely  the  dog  was  acting,  and  she  told  me  of  the 
previous  night's  experience.  I  was  astonished  that 
I  had  heard  nothing  of  the  noise.  On  going  down- 
stairs, we  found  where  the  thief  had  entered  the 
house  through  the  window  on  the  side  occupied  by 
Mrs.  Youngberg.  On  the  porch,  we  found  a  num- 
ber of  cigarette  stubs,  which  had  probably  been  left 
by  the  thief. 

Looking  back  on  this  experience,  I  always  think 
that  in  God's  providence,  I  had  been  delivered  from 
danger  that  night,  and  that  He  had  permitted  me  to 
sleep  soundly  through  it  all.  As  a  rule,  I  am  dis- 
turbed by  the  slightest  noise.  If  I  had  been  awak- 
ened, probably  I  would  have  gone  down  stairs  to 
investigate.  Chinese  thieves  always  carry  knives, 
and  do  not  hesitate  to  use  them.  God  is  good,  and 
has  a  care  for  His  people. 


DUSUN   CHILDREN 


CHAPTER  IX 


A  Snake  Story 

HAVE  already  mentioned  the  death 
of  Growler,  our  male  fox  terrier.  He 
was  a  fine  dog,  and  was  admired  by 
all  who  knew  him.  One  morning,  I 
went  to  town,  taking  Growler  with  me. 
Going  into  a  Chinese  store  to  purchase  some  gro- 
ceries, I  noticed  that  he  kept  near  my  side,  pressing 
close  to  me,  and  looking  as  if  something  was  the 
matter.  The  Chinese  clerk  remarked,  "Something 
ails  your  dog."  Leaving  the  store,  the  dog  ran 
ahead  of  me,  and  kept  looking  back  to  see  if  I  was 
coming.  When  I  had  climbed  the  first  hill,  he  was 
at  the  top,  waiting  to  see  if  I  was  coming.  That 
was  the  last  I  saw  of  him  alive.  I  stopped  to  talk 
to  a  friend,  and  arrived  home  about  fifteen  minutes 
later.  Mrs.  Youngberg  met  me  at  the  entrance. 
Her  face  was  serious  and  she  said  she  had  some 
bad  news  for  me.  Then  she  told  me  Growler  was 
dead.  He  had  returned  home,  and  had  a  number  of 
convulsions,  and  died. 

Poor  Growler!  He  had  been  a  faithful  friend 
and  companion  during  the  days  when  I  had  been 
obliged  to  stay  in  the  big  mission  house  alone  while 
the  tuan  padre  was  away,  before  Elder  and  Mrs. 
Youngberg  came  to  Borneo.  I  felt  so  bad  that  I 
went  up  to  my  room  and  wept.  I  saw  him  lying 
stiff  and  swollen,  and  suspected  snake  bite.  Finally 
I  told  the  Chinese  boy  to  bury  him. 

(83) 


84  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

Before  this  happened,  Brownie  had  been  looking 
very  despondent,  and  I  thought  she  was  sick.  When 
Growler's  body  was  taken  away,  she  went  to  the 
spot  where  he  had  died,  scratched  the  soil  with  her 
hind  legs,  and  seemed  to  be  quite  happy  about  it. 
It  really  looked  as  if  she  had  been  jealous  of 
Growler  and  was  glad  he  was  gone.  It  was  three 
days  later  that  she  scared  the  thief  away;  and 
from  that  time,  Brownie  began  to  fatten  up,  and 
reign  supreme. 

A  few  months  later,  I  was  awakened  about  six 
o'clock  one  morning  by  the  cry  of  an  animal  in  pain. 
Looking  over  the  balcony  at  the  back  of  the  house, 
I  saw  Brownie  lying  in  the  drain  with  her  legs 
stiffened,  and  she  was  whining  piteously.  Calling 
Mr.  Mershon,  I  told  him  I  thought  Brownie  was 
dying.  We  both  ran  downstairs,  and  he  picked 
her  up  and  brought  her  into  the  dining  room.  I 
hastened  to  get  some  mustard  and  water,  which  I 
forced  down  her  throat.  The  tuan  padre  said,  "It 
is  too  late,"  and  went  down  town  to  the  market. 
The  dog  had  vomited;  and  I  determined  that  if  there 
was  a  chance,  Brownie  was  going  to  have  it. 
I  continued  to  do  what  I  could  for  her,  and  finally 
she  relaxed  and  appeared  to  be  asleep. 

I  watched  her  closely  for  an  hour,  and  then  she 
tried  to  rouse  herself  and  follow  me.  I  placed  her 
back  on  the  bed  I  had  made  for  her  and  covered  her 
up.  Again  she  fell  asleep.  A  little  later  she  stag- 
gered to  the  kitchen  where  I  was  cooking,  and 
looked  at  me  very  piteously.  Suddenly  I  thought  of 
her  three  small  pups,  which  were  only  a  few  days 


A  Snake  Story 


85 


old.  She  was  trying  to  tell  me  that  she  wanted  her 
pups!  Warming  some  milk,  to  which  I  added  a 
little  sugar,  and  procuring  a  nipple,  which  I  put  on 
the  mouth  of  a  bottle,  I  brought  the  pups  and  the 
feeding  bottle  to  her,  and  let  her  see  them  suck  the 
nipple.  They  were  hungry  and  sucked  heartily. 


BROWNIE,  PROTECTOR  FROM  THIEVES  AND  SNAKES 

Looking  at  them  for  a  while,  she  was  satisfied,  and 
fell  asleep.  She  slept  for  hours,  while  I  fed  the 
pups  when  they  needed  it.  That  night,  Brownie 
was  better,  but  very  weak.  The  next  morning,  I 
gave  her  the  pups  to  suckle,  as  she  appeared  to  be 
better.  There  had  always  been  a  strong  tie  of  af- 
fection between  us;  but  after  this,  it  seemed  as  if 
she  wanted  to  be  near  me  always. 


86  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

Ten  days  later,  I  was  sitting  in  my  room  upstairs, 
when  Brownie  crawled  up  the  back  stairs  and  came 
to  me  staggering  and  falling.  At  once  I  thought  of 
snake  bite,  and  administered  the  same  remedies  as 
before.  She  pulled  through  quickly,  and  before 
long,  was  all  right  again. 

Soon  after  this,  the  tuan  padre  and  I  had  to  leave 
for  the  west  coast,  in  the  interests  of  mission  work. 
Our  boat  sailed  at  11  p.  m. ;  so  bidding  Elder  and 
Mrs.  Youngberg  good-by,  we  left  the  house  about 
7  o'clock.  As  we  sat  on  the  deck  of  the  "Densa- 
mud,"  little  did  we  realize  what  was  happening  up 
at  the  house.  It  appears  that  after  we  left,  Mr. 
Youngberg  took  Brownie  and  her  pups  downstairs 
for  the  night.  Before  long,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young- 
berg heard  Brownie  growling  and  snarling  at  some- 
thing downstairs.  As  she  did  not  quiet  down,  they 
decided  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  Coming  down 
the  stairs,  they  heard  a  peculiar  hissing  noise. 
They  switched  on  the  light;  and  opening  the  dining 
room  door,  they  found  Brownie  biting  and  snarling 
at  something  below  the  wall,  which  was  built  about 
four  inches  from  the  cement  floor.  Lighting  a 
match  and  peering  beneath,  they  saw  four  wicked 
eyes,  and  the  black,  shining  coils  of  two  king  cobras. 
The  snakes  were  very  angry  and  hissed  frightfully. 

Mr.  Youngberg  was  very  much  excited,  and  ran 
around  the  neighborhood  to  see  if  he  could  borrow  a 
gun.  Finally  he  got  one ;  but  when  he  reached  home, 
he  found  that  the  shells  did  not  fit.  By  this  time, 
the  natives  were  greatly  interested  in  those  snakes, 
and  a  number  were  squatting  outside  the  bathroom 


A  Snake  Story  87 

door  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen.  The  wall 
under  which  the  snakes  had  made  their  nest  was  be- 
tween the  dining  room  and  the  bathroom.  From  the 
bathroom,  the  kebun  helped  Mr.  Youngberg  in  try- 
ing to  poke  the  snakes  out  of  the  hole  with  sticks. 
The  snakes  objected;  then  suddenly,  as  quick  as  a 
flash,  one  of  them  darted  at  the  kebun,  and  as 
quickly  drew  back  to  the  nest.  The  kebun  fell  back 
into  Mr.  Youngberg's  arms,  saying,  "Tuan,  sahya 
sudah  mail"  (Master,  I  am  dead).  Then,  getting 
very  desperate,  and  with  a  great  desire  for  revenge, 
he  stood  over  the  hole,  whirling  his  stick,  and  saying 
that  he  was  going  to  kill  the  snakes,  as  he  must  die 
anyway.  Mr.  Youngberg  pulled  him  away  from  the 
hole  and  held  him  back. 

It  was  not  as  bad  as  was  at  first  thought.  The 
cobra  had  not  bitten  the  kebun,  but  had  spit  poison 
into  his  eyes.  This  was  bad  enough;  but  when  he 
found  that  he  had  not  been  bitten  after  all,  he  felt 
reassured.  The  snakes  were  still  in  the  hole,  so  it 
was  decided  to  cement  them  in  the  next  morning; 
and  this  was  done.  Since  then,  Brownie  has  not 
been  troubled.  We  were  now  satisfied  as  to  the 
cause  of  Growler's  death  and  Brownie's  illness.  Af- 
fectionate little  Brownie!  Nobly  had  she  fought 
for  the  protection  of  her  pups  from  those  deadly 
reptiles ! 

When  the  kebun  thought  he  was  bitten  by  one  of 
the  snakes,  the  natives  squatting  outside  consoled 
him  by  saying:  "It  is  Fate.  This  is  punishment 
for  your  meanness  to  your  wife."  Previous  to 
this,  he  had  not  been  treating  his  wife  nicely;  but 


88 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


the  thought  that  he  was  going  to  die  had  some  effect 
in  correcting  the  difficulty. 

After  we  learned  that  the  snakes  were  under  our 
dining  room  wall,  I  remembered  that  I  had  sat  with 
my  back  against  the  wall,  within  a  few  inches  of 
their  nest,  when  I  treated  Brownie.  We  now 
realized  that  God  had  protected  us  from  danger. 


ON  THE  LAWN  OF  THE  MISSION  HOME 


CHAPTER  X 

Night  in  a  Fishing  Village 

HILE  at  Beaufort,  a  small  town  on  the 
railway  line  on  the  west  coast,  we  de- 
cided to  visit  Weston,  a  small  fishing 
village  on  Brunei  Bay.  Accompanied 
by  Pan  Khi  Heng,  we  walked  to  the 
ferry,  in  order  to  cross  the  Padas  River,  one  of 
the  largest  rivers  of  West  Borneo.  The  ferry  was 
self-propelled.  A  wire  rope  is  stretched  across  the 
river,  to  which  the  ferry  is  attached  by  a  wire  rope 
with  a  pulley  on  the  upper  end.  By  shifting  the 
rudder,  the  boat  is  steered  back  and  forth  across 
the  river.  Boarding  the  ferry,  we  began  our  jour- 
ney across.  The  river  was  in  flood,  and  huge  logs 
floated  down  the  stream.  One  of  the  logs  struck 
our  rude  craft,  but  no  harm  was  done.  The  natives 
on  board  were  excited,  and  when  we  reached  the 
other  side,  they  quickly  got  ashore.  Sometimes 
crocodiles  are  seen  from  the  ferry;  but  this  time, 
the  water  was  too  high  for  them  to  bask  on  the 
banks  of  the  river. 

Walking  a  short  distance  to  the  railway  track, 
we  found  the  train  waiting  to  pick  up  passengers. 
There  were  a  large  number  of  natives  and  Chinese 
on  board,  eating  mangoes  and  coconuts.  The  seats 
consisted  of  a  few  old  rattan  chairs,  and  a  stuffed 
seat  from  which  the  coir  was  trying  to  escape. 
After  waiting  what  seemed  to  us  a  long  time,  the 

(89) 


90 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


train  gave  a  shrill  whistle,  and  we  began  to  move. 
We  were  the  only  Europeans  on  the  train.  The 
other  passengers  were  Chinese,  Kadayans,  and 
Malays. 

We  passed  large  rubber  estates  and  rice  fields, 
and  went  through  dense  jungle.  In  some  places, 
huge  ferns  lined  the  track,  and  rattan  vines,  with 


PADAS  RIVER,  WEST  COAST 

their  three-clawed  thorns,  trailed  against  the  sides 
of  the  coaches. 

The  train  was  not  an  up-to-date  one.  Appar- 
ently, when  the  track  was  built,  the  builders' 
greatest  desire  was  to  have  as  many  curves  as 
possible.  The  wheels  creaked  and  groaned  at  every 
turn.  One  of  the  engineers  told  us  that  every  two 


A  Night  in  a  Fishing  Village  91 

years,  the  tires  have  to  be  renewed.  We  did  not 
wonder  at  it. 

After  two  hours,  we  arrived  at  Weston.  We  in- 
quired where  our  friends  lived,  and  were  directed  to 
a  fishing  village  in  the  distance.  Going  directly  to 
the  shore  of  the  bay,  we  found  that  the  tide  was 
down,  and  we  must  walk  on  damp  soil  to  reach  the 
logs  by  which  we  should  mount  the  approach  to  the 
wharf.  This  wharf  was  built  on  piles  high  above 
the  water.  It  was  made  of  the  trunks  of  palm  trees 
split  down  the  center,  and  nailed,  with  small  spaces 
between,  to  a  support  fastened  to  the  piles  in  the 
water.  Mounting  the  approach,  we  walked  about 
one  hundred  feet  to  the  end,  where  the  house 
was  built. 

We  were  welcomed  by  the  owner  of  the  fishing 
shed  and  his  wife  —  both  Chinese.  On  every  side 
we  could  see  shrimps  and  fish  drying  in  the  sun. 
A  "very  ancient  and  fishlike  smell"  pervaded  the 
atmosphere.  A  number  of  Bruneis  were  sitting  on 
the  wharf,  and  seemed  just  as  much  interested  in 
looking  at  us,  as  we  were  in  looking  at  them.  On 
either  side  of  us  were  native  houses.  On  one  side 
was  a  Brunei  village,  and  we  could  see  the  women 
and  the  children  weaving  baskets  and  putting  them 
in  the  sun  to  dry.  Some  small  children  were  swim- 
ming in  the  water,  with  the  dogs  and  the  ducks  of 
the  village.  At  our  shed,  we  noted  that  each  boat 
had  a  boy  to  cook  the  food  for  the  fishermen  when 
they  returned  from  their  trips.  We  watched  them 
eat  their  rice  and  dried  fish,  and  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  it.  These  boys  who  do  the  cooking,  I  noticed, 


92 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


had  their  heads  shaved,  with  the  exception  of  a  long 
tuft  on  the  top.  On  asking  why  they  shaved  their 
heads  like  that,  we  were  told  that  the  tuft  on  the 
top  was  a  mark  of  honor  for  unmarried  men. 

About  five  o'clock,  we  were  invited  to  sit  down 
to  eat.  The  place  was  reeking  with  the  odor  of  stale 
fish,  and  somehow  this  did  not  whet  my  appetite. 


BRUNEI  FISHING  VILLAGE 


Fresh  and  dried  fish  was  placed  before  us,  with  rice 
and  green  vegetables.  Our  host  and  hostess  helped 
themselves  liberally  to  some  pork  they  had  cooked. 
The  meal  over,  we  visited  the  few  shops  in  the  town. 
About  eight  o'clock,  we  returned  to  the  shed.  The 
fishermen  were  already  asleep,  and  I  began  to 
wonder  where  we  were  going  to  rest  our  weary 
heads.  In  a  little  while,  our  hostess  took  us  to  our 
room  for  the  night.  We  saw  a  very  dirty  mosquito 


A  Night  in  a  Fishing  Village  93 

net  tied  up  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  Pulling  the 
net  aside,  I  found  the  mattress  on  the  floor,  and  the 
looks  of  it  were  not  at  all  inviting.  There  were  no 
sheets  nor  pillow  cases;  and  from  the  appearance, 
I  should  judge  that  the  bed  had  been  in  use  for 
centuries. 

We  spread  our  hand  towels,  which  we  always 
carry  with  us,  over  the  pillows,  and  lay  down  to 
rest.  But  rest  was  impossible.  Creepy  things 
seemed  to  be  running  over  us ;  occasionally  we  were 
bitten.  Rats  ran  across  the  low  partition  above  us. 
Presently  we  heard  a  terrific  screeching  and  a  sound 
of  claws  going  up  the  wall.  It  was  only  the  cat 
catching  a  rat;  so  we  held  our  breath  and  waited 
for  the  next  item  on  the  program.  The  cat  caught 
more  than  one  rat  that  night,  and  I  began  to  wonder 
if  this  was  a  regular  occurrence,  or  whether  the  cat 
was  trying  to  show  us  how  many  she  could  catch. 
In  the  middle  of  the  night,  we  heard  the  fishermen 
go  out  with  their  boats.  Some  of  them  were  chant- 
ing a  weird  song,  probably  calling  on  the  spirits  to 
aid  them  on  their  trip.  All  night  long  the  swish  of 
the  water  beating  against  the  piles  sounded  in  our 
ears.  By  morning,  everything  was  quiet,  and  it  was 
with  a  sigh  of  relief  that  we  boarded  the  train  to 
return  to  Beaufort. 


CHAPTER  XI 

Visit  to  a  'Rjibber  Estate 

T  five  o'clock  one  morning  while  we 
were  at  Beaufort,  we  were  awakened 
by  the  sounding  of  a  gong  calling  the 
coolies  to  work  on  a  rubber  estate  about 
a  mile  away.  Rain  had  fallen  all 
night,  and  the  river  was  in  heavy  flood.  We  talked 
over  our  plans  for  the  day,  which  must  be  somewhat 
altered  because  of  the  recent  rains.  The  sounding 
of  the  gong  reminded  us  that  we  had  planned  to 
visit  this  estate  sometime  during  our  stay  in  Beau- 
fort. We  finally  decided  to  go  to  Woodford  —  the 
name  of  the  estate. 

After  breakfast,  we  started  out.  The  roads  be- 
ing wet  and  muddy,  we  made  our  way  to  the  rail- 
way track  and  walked  the  ties.  We  arrived  at  the 
estate,  and  entered  a  large  gate  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  railway  track.  On  all  sides,  we  saw  coolies 
—  men  and  women  —  tapping  the  rubber  trees. 
Every  few  minutes,  we  could  hear  the  rubber  seeds 
exploding,  because  of  the  warmth  of  the  morning 
sun.  About  one  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance, 
we  reached  the  office  and  the  storerooms  and  the  fac- 
tory. On  asking  for  the  manager,  we  were  in- 
formed that  he  was  still  in  bed.  We  were  presented 
to  one  of  the  assistant  managers  —  a  pleasant,  red- 
headed Scotchman  recently  arrived  from  Scotland. 
We  explained  our  errand,  and  he  was  delighted  to 

(95) 


TAPPING  RUBBER    (OLD  METHOD) 


(96) 


TAPPING  RUBBER  (MODERN  METHOD) 


(97) 


98  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

show  us  over  the  place.  In  Borneo,  Europeans  are 
always  glad  to  meet  other  Europeans,  as  they  are 
so  scarce. 

At  first,  the  assistant  took  us  out  to  where  the 
rubber  trees  were  growing.  He  explained  to  us 
that  the  estate  covered  an  area  of  1,600  acres,  all 
planted.  This  is  divided  into  three  pajaks,  or 
sections.  Each  of  these  is  in  the  charge  of  a  Euro- 
pean who  has  about  three  hundred  coolies  working 
under  him.  Each  section  is  divided  up  into  smaller 
pajaks,  over  which  are  placed  mandors — native  men 
who  look  after  a  certain  group  of  coolies.  Each 
mandor  must  see  that  the  trees  are  tapped  properly, 
that  his  section  is  kept  free  from  weeds,  and  that 
the  coolies  do  their  work  faithfully  and  are  on  time. 

The  trees  are  planted  about  twenty  feet  apart 
each  way.  One  coolie  taps  from  three  hundred  to 
five  hundred  trees,  the  number  depending  on  the 
nature  of 'the  ground.  On  flat  land,  five  hundred 
trees  is  an  easy  task;  on  steep  ground,  three  hun- 
dred is  the  task  for  the  best  workers.  Most  of  the 
trees  are  planted  on  hills,  it  being  thought  that  rub- 
ber grown  there  is  better  than  that  grown  on  the 
lowlands.  When  the  tree  is  five  years  old,  tapping 
begins.  The  European  in  charge,  or  the  mandor, 
goes  around  and  marks  the  lower  trunk  of  each  tree 
in  four  perpendicular  sections.  Each  section  has 
tapping  space  to  last  one  year;  and  at  the  end  of 
four  years,  that  portion  of  the  trunk  has  been  en- 
circled. In  tapping,  a  diagonal  cut  is  made.  A 
very  thin  shaving  is  taken  off  every  morning. 


A  Visit  to  a  Rubber  Estate 


99 


The  rubber,  or  latex,  is  a  white,  sticky  fluid  held  in 
little  cells  in  the  bark.  After  each  cut  is  made,  the 
latex  oozes  out  and  runs  down  the  incline  into  a  tin 
spout  that  is  attached  to  the  tree  below  the  incision. 
From  the  spout,  it  drips  into  a  cup  that  is  placed  at 
the  lower  end.  Each  tree  yields  about  one  third  of 
a  cup  a  day,  or  what  in  one  year  amounts  to  two 
to  twelve  pounds  of  dried  rubber.  The  tapping  be- 


COAGULATING  TANKS 


gins  at  daylight.  About  ten  o'clock,  the  latex  is  col- 
lected. The  cups  are  washed  and  replaced,  and  the 
latex  is  taken  to  the  factory.  Here  it  is  measured 
and  the  specific  gravity  taken,  to  find  out  if  the 
coolies  have  added  water  to  it.  (In  some  cases,  the 
coolies  are  too  lazy  to  collect  all  the  latex  from  their 
pajak,  and  they  mix  water  with  what  they  do 
collect,  in  order  to  bring  in  the  regular  measure.) 
It  is  then  strained,  and  poured  into  large  wooden 


100  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

vats  or  earthenware  jars.  Acetic  acid  or  some  other 
coagulant  is  stirred  in,  with  the  aid  of  broad  wooden 
paddles,  and  the  rubber  is  poured  into  molds  and 
allowed  to  stand  overnight. 

Next  morning,  the  workmen  run  this  coagulated 
rubber  between  rollers  under  pressure,  in  order  to 
squeeze  out  all  the  water.  After  this,  it  is  again 
run  between  rollers,  to  roll  it  out  thin.  A  small 
stream  of  water  is  kept  constantly  running  on  the 
rollers,  to  prevent  the  rubber  from  picking  up  dirt 
or  fluff.  This  process  is  repeated  several  times. 
Then  the  rubber  is  put  between  other  rollers,  which 
press  a  diamond-shaped  pattern  and  the  name  of 
the  estate  into  it.  Now  it  is  in  strips  about  twelve 
inches  wide  and  eight  feet  in  length.  It  is  placed 
out  in  the  air  to  dry ;  and  care  must  -be  taken  not  to 
allow  the  sun  to  shine  on  it,  as  this  causes  "tacki- 
ness"—  one  of  the  consumers'  worst  enemies.  It  is 
then  placed  in  the  smokehouse  and  smoked  to  a  dark 
brown  color.  After  it  is  taken  out,  it  is  examined, 
and  the  damp  spots  are  cut  out.  It  is  then  cut  into 
lengths  of  twenty-four  inches,  and  packed  in  wooden 
cases,  under  pressure,  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of 
the  world. 

The  rubber  that  falls  on  the  ground  coagulates  of 
itself.  This  is  gathered  separately  and  put  into  a 
"barking"  machine.  Here  it  is  pulverized  and 
mixed,  and  washed  until  all  particles  of  bark  and 
impurities  are  removed.  It  comes  from  this  ma- 
chine in  long,  stringy  masses.  It  is  then  run  back 
and  forth  between  rollers  until  it  is  a  smooth  sheet. 
From  here  it  is  put  into  a  craping  machine,  which 


A   Visit  to  a  Rubber  Estate 


101 


makes  it  look  like  crape,  only  much  thicker.  It  is 
afterward  treated  the  same  as  the  other,  but  it 
brings  less  money  on  the  market. 

The  rubber  trees  are  grown  from  seeds.  The 
seeds  are  collected  from  the  best  rubber-bearing 
trees,  and  stored.  When  a  new  plantation  is  to  be 


RUBBER  SEEDS  AND  SEEDLING 


FLOWER  OF  THE  RUBBER  TREE 


started,  the  seeds  are  placed  separately  in  palm-leaf 
sacks  —  twelve  by  four  inches  —  with  rich  soil;  and 
these  sacks  are  put  into  the  ground,  side  by  side,  in 
a  sheltered  place,  and  the  seeds  allowed  to  sprout 
and  grow  until  ready  for  transplanting.  The  seed- 
ling is  at  that  time  about  four  feet  high.  With  the 
sack  of  rich  soil  still  about  its  roots,  it  is  planted  in 
a  permanent  place.  The  top  of  the  seedling  is  cut 
off,  to  force  the  limbs  to  sprout  low. 


102 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


After  all  this,  we  were  taken  to  see  the  "coolie 
lines."  Chinese  and  Javanese  and  natives  will  not 
live  close  together;  so  seperate  houses  are  provided 
for  them,  on  different  parts  of  the  estate.  The 
estate  runs  its  own  kadai  (store),  where  the  coolies 
are  expected  to  buy  their  supplies.  They  are  al- 
lowed to  leave  the  estate  but  twice  a  month.  The 
law  compels  each  estate  to  give  the  coolies  two 
holidays  a  month.  There  is  a  hospital  on  each 
estate,  supervised  by  a  European  doctor.  This  is 
required  by  law.  A  jail  also  is  found  on  every  es- 
tate, where  petty  offenders  are  locked  up  overnight. 


AT  THE  PIER,  JESSELTON 


CHAPTER  XII 

Traveling  in  "Borneo 

RAVELING  is  not  so  easy  and  com- 
fortable in  Borneo  as  in  the  homeland, 
or  even  in  other  places  in  the  East. 
Java  has  good  railway  service,  good 
street  cars,  automobiles,  and  pony  car- 
riages. In  Singapore,  there  are  fairly  good  street 
cars,  jitneys,  rickshas,  and  automobiles.  In  Borneo, 
there  are  a  few  automobiles  and  rickshas,  but  these 
are  luxuries.  On  the  west  coast  of  British  North 
Borneo,  there  is  a  railway  line,  one  hundred  miles 
in  length,  running  from  Jesseiton  to  Melalap.  Leav- 
ing Jesselton  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the 
train  reaches  the  terminus  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  From  Beaufort,  there  is  a  branch  run- 
ning to  Weston,  on  Brunei  Bay.  This  is  about 
twenty  miles  long.  The  train  carries  three  classes 
of  coaches.  The  first-class  accommodate  Euro- 
peans; the  second-class  are  patronized  by  Javanese, 
Chinese,  and  well-to-do  natives;  and  the  third-class 
carry  the  coolie  class  of  Chinese  and  natives. 

The  engine  is  operated  by  Malay  engineers. 
Wood  is  used  instead  of  coal  or  oil.  Sometimes  the 
train  has  to  stop  and  wait  for  the  fire  before  it  can 
continue  its  journey.  One  day,  while  traveling  on 
the  train,  we  came  to  a  full  stop  between  stations. 
On  inquiring  the  cause  of  the  delay,  I  was  informed 
that  the  wood  on  the  engine  was  green,  and  the  fire 

(103) 


104  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

would  not  burn  under  the  boiler.  However,  after 
a  short  time,  we  continued  our  journey.  Sometimes 
buffaloes  or  cattle  get  on  the  track,  so  the  engineer 
blows  his  whistle,  and  keeps  up  a  continual  screech 
until  the  animals  leave  the  track. 

When  we  want  to  visit  up  the  line,  we  go  by  train 
to  the  nearest  station,  and  walk  the  rest  of  the 
way,  sometimes  eight  miles  out  and  eight  miles 
back. 

One  time,  we  wanted  to  visit  a  Chinese  church 
member,  who,  with  his  family,  lives  at  Bintian, 
an  abandoned  Dusun  village.  This  Chinese  brother 
has  a  family  of  seventeen  children,  all  living.  Some 
are  married  and  away  from  the  paternal  roof.  At 
that  time,  there  were  about  ten  at  home.  It  was 
during  the  rainy  season;  and  as  there  had  been  a 
landslide  over  the  railway  track,  the  train  was  not 
running  from  Beaufort — six  miles  from  Bintian. 
As  one  of  our  brother's  sons,  Howard  Wong,  was 
employed  by  the  railway  company,  we  decided  to 
inquire  of  him  as  to  whether  we  could  get  a  trolley 
to  take  us  to  his  father's  home.  We  were  more  than 
pleased  to  learn  that  he  was  working  on  the  line  be- 
yond Bintian,  and  would  be  going  up  on  the  trolley 
at  six  o'clock  the  next  morning.  He  advised  us  not 
to  eat  breakfast  before  leaving,  as  his  parents  would 
attend  to  that  when  we  got  there. 

At  half  past  five  the  next  morning,  we  were 
awakened  by  the  Chinese  boy  at  the  resthouse  where 
we  were  staying;  and  by  six  o'clock,  we  were  at  the 
railway  station,  ready  for  our  trolley  ride.  Howard 
was  there  with  four  Muruts,  who  proved  to  be  the 


Traveling  in  Borneo  105 

motors  to  run  the  trolley.  One  sitting  on  each 
corner,  they  propelled  it  with  their  feet.  When  we 
came  to  down  grade,  they  would  raise  their  feet  and 
let  the  trolley  tear  down  of  its  own  accord.  Travel- 
ing in  this  manner  on  level  country  is  fairly  pleas- 
ant; but  when  tearing  downhill,  especially  crossing 
bridges  near  the  edge  of  a  river  infested  with 
crocodiles,  somehow  the  thrill  is  taken  out  of  it. 

In  spite  of  all  this,  we  had  a  good  trip.  The 
mists  were  rising  from  the  hills,  reminding  us  of  the 
song  we  sing,  "When  the  mists  have  rolled  in  splen- 
dor from  the  beauty  of  the  hills."  Rain  had  fallen 
the  night  before,  and  the  trees  in  the  jungle  glis- 
tened in  the  early  morning  sun.  Once  we  had  to 
wait  for  our  motormen  to  get  off  the  trolley  and  cut 
away  some  rattan  vines  that  had  fallen  on  the  track. 
Centipedes  and  large  black  scorpions  crawled  across 
the  track. 

The  cool  morning  air  gave  us  a  good  appetite,  and 
we  began  to  wish  for  something  to  eat.  We  found 
Henry  Wong  and  his  children  at  home ;  but  his  wife 
had"  walked  to  Beaufort  that  morning,  carrying 
vegetables  to  sell  in  the  market.  After  visiting  for 
.  a  while,  we  began  to  wish  we  had  had  our  breakfast 
before  we  left  Beaufort.  I  could  see  that  no  prepa- 
rations were  being  made  for  us  to  eat.  Before 
long,  Mr.  Wong  brought  us  some  boiled  peanuts. 
After  we  had  eaten  some  of  these,  one  of  the  sons 
brought  some  sugar  cane  for  us  to  nibble.  We  ate 
as  much  as  we  could  of  this,  but  our  appetites  were 
not  satisfied.  Meanwhile  the  girls  visited  with  me, 


106  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

while  the  muk-su  (Chinese  name  for  Mr.  Mershon, 
meaning  "minister")  talked  with  Mr.  Wong. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  girls  began  to  prepare  a 
meal;  and  at  four  o'clock,  everything  was  ready  on 
the  tables.  The  girls  sat  at  a  table  by  themselves, 
and  I  was  assigned  a  seat  of  honor  with  the  men 
and  boys  at  another  table.  The  meal  tasted  very 
good.  Dried  mushrooms,  cucumbers,  green  vege- 
tables, and  beans  were  spread  before  us;  and  I  can 
assure  you  that  after  waiting  so  long  for  something 
substantial  to  eat,  we  did  justice  to  all  of  it. 

After  dinner,  we  went  upstairs  to  a  room  in 
which  a  small  organ  was  standing.  Vui  Yin,  the 
eldest  girl  at  home,  played  and  sang  with  the  other 
children.  I  wish  you  could  have  listened  to  them 
away  off  there  in  the  jungle!  Outside  there  was 
a  stillness  that  could  be  felt.  This  was  broken  only 
by  a  little  stream  running  down  the  hill  at  the  side 
of  the  house.  Occasionally  a  monkey  chattered  to 
remind  us  that  he  was  near. 

As  I  listened  to  the  Chinese  voices  singing  the 
hymns  we  love  so  well,  I  thought  how  the  children 
in  the  homeland  would  enjoy  being  there.  I  knew 
that  if  you  could  only  hear  those  dear  children 
singing  so  heartily  the  songs  you  sing,  you  would 
want  to  be  missionaries  too,  and  bring  the  light  of 
the  gospel  to  such  places  as  this.  When  they  sang 
the  chorus  of  "Jesus  loves  me" — 

"Ya  s  kiu  Ju  oi  ngo 
Ya  s  kiu  Ju  oi  ngo 
Ya  s  kiu  Ju  oi  ngo 
Yu  Shin  Shu  kau  s  ngo" — 


Traveling  in  Borneo  107 

a  big  lump  rose  up  in  my  throat  as  I  thought  of  the 
wonderful  power  of  the  gospel  to  penetrate  the 
jungles  of  heathen  Borneo. 

The  trolley  was  to  return  at  five  o'clock;  and 
after  prayer,  we  left  our  friends,  with  thankfulness 


MRS.   MERSHON   AND   NATIVE   GIRL  WORKERS 

in  our  hearts  that  we  had  the  privilege  of  working 
for  the  Master  among  the  people  we  love  so  well. 

Another  time,  we  planned  to  visit  the  Papar  rub- 
ber estate,  about  eight  miles  from  Papar.  We  tried 
to  hire  a  boat  to  take  us  there,  but  it  was  impossible 
to  procure  one.  Then  we  tried  to  get  ponies  to  ride, 
but  we  could  not  find  any.  Finally  we  talked  to  one 
of  the  railway  officials  about  hiring  a  trolley  with 
four  men  to  take  us  to  the  end  of  the  track,  four 


108  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

miles  out.  This  he  gladly  let  us  do,  so  off  we 
started.  With  us  were  Mr.  M.  Mullinnex  and  his 
wife,  from  Singapore,  who  were  on  a  visit  to  Bor- 
neo. Chairs  were  provided  for  the  ladies,  Mr.  Mul- 
linnex and  Mr.  Mershon  sitting  on  the  trolley.  The 
track  was  old  and  uneven,  and  in  some  places  wider 
than  it  was  intended  to  be.  When  we  came  to  the 
wide  places,  the  trolley  would  skip  the  track,  and  of 
course  we  went  with  it.  However,  nothing  serious 
happened. 

From  the  terminus,   we  walked  to  the  estate. 
Rain  began  to  fall,  and  we  found  shelter  in  the 


A  NATIVE  BOAT 


jungle  until  it  ceased.  The  path  was  wet  and 
slippery,  and  steam  seemed  to  rise  from  the  ground. 
It  was  soff ocating !  On  the  return  trip,  the  air  was 
cooler.  When  we  reached  the  terminus,  we  found 
that  the  trolley  was  not  there,  so  we  decided  to  wait 
for  a  while.  In  the  meantime,  we  persuaded  some 
natives  to  climb  a  coconut  palm  to  bring  us  down 
some  coconuts.  We  were  very  thirsty,  and  wanted 
to  drink  the  milk  of  the  coconuts. 


Traveling  in  Borneo  109 

When  we  had  finished,  we  heard  the  trolley  com- 
ing. It  had  returned  to  Papar  to  bring  an  estate 
manager  to  the  terminus.  In  his  hand  he  held  a 
loaded  revolver  in  such  a  way  that  everybody  could 
see  that  he  had  it.  We  learned  that  he  had  been  to 
get  money  from  the  bank  to  pay  the  coolies  on  the 
estate.  The  natives  knew  of  his  errand,  and  this 
was  the  only  way  he  could  protect  himself  from  at- 
tack. Our  return  trip  was  made  without  any  seri- 
ous happening. 

On  another  occasion,  we  were  invited  to  visit 
some  Chinese  people  living  up  the  Papar  River.  We 
arrived  at  Papar;  and  the  next  morning,  we  found 
that  the  boat  was  ready  to  take  us  to  the  home  of 
our  Chinese  friends.  When  we  got  to  the  water's 
edge,  we  saw  two  long  boats,  made  from  the  trunks 
of  trees,  the  insides  having  been  hollowed  out  by 
fire.  Mr.  Mershon  and  I  sat  in  one  boat  with  two 
Chinese,  while  Ng  Shu  Kong,  our  Chinese  evangelist 
at  Papar,  sat  in  the  other  with  another  Chinese. 
We  had  to  sit  flat  in  the  boat,  with  our  legs  stretched 
out  in  front  of  us.  After  sitting  for  a  time  this 
way,  we  began  to  wish  we  could  change  our  position. 
At  the  slightest  movement  on  our  part,  the  boat- 
man would  call  out  to  us  to  keep  still  or  the  boat 
would  upset.  The  river  was  full  of  crocodiles;  so 
we  held  tight,  because  we  did  not  want  to  go  over- 
board to  give  them  a  feed. 

We  passed  numerous  sago  factories,  with  the 
natives  jumping  up  and  down  on  the  sago  mats. 
Native  boats  laden  with  sago  passed  us  frequently. 
We  saw  several  boats  manned  by  Dusun  women. 


110 


With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 


Native  villages  surrounded  by  coconut  palms  came 
into  view  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  At  one  village, 
we  heard  the  natives  playing  on  their  gamelan  (na- 
tive musical  instrument),  and  it  sounded  very  sweet 
as  we  were  rowed  up  the  river. 

It  took  us  four  hours  to  get  to  our  destination. 
After  visiting  for  a  while  and  partaking  of  some 
oranges  and  papayas,  we  left  for  the  home  of  an- 


CROCODILE.  EAST  COAST 

other  Chinese,  a  little  farther  up  the  river.  This 
time,  Ng  Shu  Kong  rowed  us;  but  he  did  not  seem 
to  be  so  skilled  in  handling  the  boat.  Once  he  ran 
us  on  a  sand  bank.  While  we  were  on  the  river,  a 
tropical  storm  came  up.  We  could  hear  it  ap- 
proaching in  the  distance.  The  rain  beating  on  the 
palms  in  the  jungle  sounded  like  rain  pouring  down 
on  a  corrugated  iron  roof.  Somewhat  damp,  we 
arrived  at  our  friend's  garden;  and  after  a  good 


A  SAGO  PALM 


(111) 


112  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

meal,  to  which  I  sat  down  with  the  men,  we  started 
back  for  Papar.  Two  boys  rowed;  and  as  we  had 
the  wind  and  the  tide  in  our  favor,  we  reached 
Papar  in  two  hours. 

At  the  close  of  last  year,  Mr.  Mershon  paid  a  visit 
to  the  east  coast  of  Borneo,  and  took  a  trip  over  to 
Tarakan,  an  oil  town  in  Dutch  Borneo.  To  get 
there  he  had  to  take  a  coastal  steamer  from  San- 
dakan  to  Tawau,  and  there  get  a  Chinese  junk  to 
take  him  on  to  Tarakan,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles, 
a  two  days'  trip.  This  was  accomplished  safely; 
but  on  the  return  trip,  it  looked  as  if  he  would 
never  reach  land  again.  The  Chinese  in  charge 
of  the  junk  were  either  stupid  or  lazy.  Leaving 
Tarakan  at  dusk,  they  dropped  anchor  before  mid- 
night, intending  to  sail  on  at  daybreak  the  next 
day.  When  daylight  came,  it  brought  a  severe 
storm  with  it.  It  was  the  season  of  the  northeast 
monsoon,  when  the  big  typhoons  sweep  down  over 
the  Chinese  Sea.  For  two  days,  they  could  make  no 
headway.  The  tuan  padre  had  enough  food  and 
water  to  last  him  two  days ;  but  when  that  was  fin- 
ished, he  was  obliged  to  eat  dry  rice  and  salt  fish 
or  else  go  without  food,  and  he  had  no  water  to 
drink.  The  passengers,  natives  and  Chinese,  were 
huddled  together  on  the  cargo  of  rice  and  coconuts. 
On  the  third  night,  the  boat  was  caught  in  a  whirl- 
pool, and  after  being  whirled  three  times  around, 
was  thrown  out  of  it.  Soon  after  this,  she  struck 
a  reef,  on  which  she  settled  until  the  tide  rose  again. 
On  the  evening  of  the  fourth  day,  the  boat  reached 


Traveling  in  Borneo  113 

Tawau,  and  Mr.  Mershon  was  very  glad  to  go  on 
shore  and  get  something  to -eat  and  drink. 

There  are  a  few  ponies  in  Borneo,  but  they  are  so 
poor  and  skinny  that  it  seems  like  cruelty  to  dumb 
animals  to  ride  behind  them.  In  Sandakan,  there 
are  a  few  carriages,  but  these  are  so  old  and  shabby 
that  only  natives  will  ride  in  them.  Water  buffaloes 
are  the  beasts  of  burden.  There  are  a  few  Indian 
oxen  used.  The  buffaloes  are  huge  beasts,  and 
though  slow  in  their  movements,  they  are  very 
strong.  When  they  get  angry,  they  tear  along  like 
the  wind,  smashing  everything  in  the  way.  Fortu- 
nately this  does  not  happen  often.  These  big  crea- 
tures are  very  docile,  and  can  be  led  by  little 
children.  The  natives  are  fond  of  buffalo  milk, 
which  is  very  thick  and  of  a  bluish  hue.  When  the 
buffaloes  are  feeding  in  the  fields,  they  are  attended 
by  pure  white  herons,  which  stay  by  their  sides.  It 
is  queer  to  see  these  clean  white  birds  in  the  com- 
pany of  dirty  buffaloes  that  love  to  wallow  in  the 
mud.  Swarms  of  insects  hover  around  them;  and 
the  buffaloes  seek  the  mudholes,  to  get  a  coat  of  mud 
to  protect  them.  The  herons  help  to  keep  the  in- 
sects off. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Varied  Experiences 

NE  morning,  my  Chinese  house  girl, 
Lo  Kwui  Len,  came  to  me  and  told  me 
her  mother  was  ill,  and  that  she  was 
very  hot.  After  asking  a  few  ques- 
tions, I  decided  to  go  and  see  what  I 
could  do  for  her.  Taking  Kwui  Len  with  me,  I 
started  off  for  her  home,  about  three  quarters  of  a 
mile  away.  We  walked  on  the  road  for  half  a  mile, 
then  crossed  a  small  wooden  bridge  over  a  narrow 
stream.  Passing  a  few  Chinese  gardens,  from 
which  several  large  dogs  threatened  to  devour  me  — 
they  were  acquainted  with  Kwui  Len — we  crossed 
another  creek  in  the  jungle,  and  finally  reached 
the  house. 

It  was  an  ordinary  Chinese  house,  dirt  floor,  with 
piles  of  old  furniture  and  tin  cans  and  baskets 
strewn  around.  Going  into  the  bedroom,  I  found 
the  patient  lying  on  a  wooden  bed  with  a  wooden 
mattress.  She  had  a  bad  breast,  hard  and  swollen. 
Smeared  all  over  it  was  a  green  mixture  that  looked 
like  chewed  leaves.  Washing  it  off,  I  had  Kwui  Len 
heat  some  water;  and  armed  with  my  fomentation 
cloths,  I  proceeded  to  treat  my  patient. 

All  the  family,  from  the  old  grandfather  to  the 
youngest  grandchild,  stood  around  to  see  what  the 
muk-su-nyong  (Chinese  for  "minister's  wife")  was 
going  to  do.  As  I  began  to  wring  out  those  hot 

(115) 


116  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

cloths,  the  folks  opened  their  mouths  with  astonish- 
ment. When  I  applied  them,  they  began  to  chatter 
and  make  remarks.  However,  they  saw  that  the 
patient  took  it  quietly  and  appeared  to  be  satisfied. 
When  I  applied  cold  after  each  fomentation,  they 
asked  among  themselves,  "What  kind  of  affair  is 
this?" 

After  the  treatment,  I  showed  Kwui  Len  how  to 
massage  the  swollen  breast  gently,  and  gave  in- 
structions for  the  same  treatment  to  be  repeated  in 
the  evening.  The  next  morning,  when  I  called  to 
see  the  patient,  she  said  she  felt  better.  After  a 
week's  treatment,  she  was  well  again,  and  the  old 
grandfather  told  me  that  he  had  never  seen  such 
wonders  brought  about  by  the  use  of  hot  and 
cold  water. 

While  sitting  talking  with  the  grandmother,  I 
observed  on  each  of  her  toes  a  small  red  spot.  When 
I  inquired  what  they  were,  she  said  she  suffered 
with  cold  feet,  and  had  put  a  piece  of  hot  iron  on 
each  toe  to  burn  them  in  order  to  make  her 
feet  warm. 

Another  time,  while  sitting  in  our  little  church 
at  a  meeting  one  Sabbath  morning,  I  noticed  that 
one  of  the  Chinese  boys  had  a  sore  wrist.  From  the 
appearance  of  it,  I  judged  that  something  had  bit- 
ten him,  and  he  had  neglected  to  take  care  of  the 
wounds.  After  church,  I  invited  him  to  come  to 
the  mission  house  and  I  would  attend  to  it.  He 
came  that  afternoon;  and  on  closely  examining  the 
wounds,  I  found  they  were  infected  and  that  he 
had  a  slight  fever.  Getting  a  bowl  of  hot  water,  to 


WONG  SISTERS 


(117) 


118  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

0 

which  I  added  some  lysol,  I  had  him  soak  his  wrist 
in  that  for  half  an  hour.  Then  I  bandaged  it  up, 
and  invited  him  to  come  to  see  me  the  next  day. 

Naturally  I  thought  he  would  then  leave,  but  he 
kept  on  sitting.  I  was  new  to  Chinese  ways,  and 
did  not  understand  his  behavior.  After  an  hour  had 
passed  away,  I  went  upstairs  to  the  muk-su  and  ex- 
plained the  situation  to  him.  He  laughed  and  sug- 
gested that  I  ask  the  boy  to  go.  Returning  to  my 
patient,  though  feeling  somewhat  embarrassed,  I 
told  him  it  was  time  to  go.  He  smiled,  and 
thanked  me  for  treating  his  wrist,  and  departed. 
For  a  week,  he  came  every  day ;  and  each  day,  after 
treating  him,  I  had  to  tell  him  it  was  time  to  go. 
Since  this  experience,  I  have  become  quite  used  to 
telling  the  long  stayers  it  was  time  to  go. 

One  day,  Mrs.  Youngberg  told  me  that  her  baboe 
(servant)  was  ill,  and  she  could  not  quite  make  up 
her  mind  what  the  illness  was.  Sometimes  when  the 
servants  want  a  holiday,  they  say  they  are  sick,  for 
an  excuse.  Armed  with  various  utensils,  I  paid  a 
visit  to  the  baboe,  a  Javanese  woman  named  Sarepa. 
I  found  her  with  a  high  fever,  lying  on  a  mat  on  the 
floor.  Several  native  women  were  squatting  around 
talking  and  chewing  sirih  and  smoking  cigarettes. 
I  politely  asked  all  but  one  to  pigi  (go).  With  the 
aid  of  this  one,  I  gave  Sarepa  a  good  treatment, 
covered  her  up,  and  told  her  to  go  to  sleep,  and  not 
to  get  up  until  I  came  to  see  her  again.  I  told  the 
woman  who  helped  me,  not  to  talk  to  her,  or  the 
mem  b'sar  (the  big  mistress)  — this  is  what  the  na- 


120  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

lives  call  me  —  would  be  very  angry.  I  had  to  tell 
her  this  to  enforce  quietness.  The  natives  greatly 
dislike  to  have  anyone  angry  with  them.  An  hour 
later,  I  returned  to  Sarepa,  to  find  her  fast  asleep, 
with  huge  drops  of  perspiration  on  her  face.  This 
was  what  I  wanted,  so  I  carefully  wiped  her  face, 
and  returned  home.  At  six  o'clock  that  evening,  I 
paid  her  another  visit,  and  found  her  in  the  act  of 
getting  up.  When  I  asked  her  what  she  was  doing, 
she  said  she  was  all  right  now  and  was  going  to 
get  up.  I  told  her  my  treatment  required  that  she 
stay  in  bed  until  the  next  morning,  so  she  quietly 
took  to  her  mat  again.  Next  morning,  she  was 
back  at  work,  feeling  well  but  a  little  weak. 

While  treating  Sarepa,  I  had  noticed  a  large  tooth 
in  a  bowl  of  water  standing  on  the  table.  I  asked 
what  that  was,  and  they  told  me  it  was  an  elephant's 
tooth  to  make  Sarepa  well.  I  told  them  the  tooth 
had  been  on  the  table  for  some  time  and  had  not 
made  her  well,  and  that  it  was  my  treatment  that 
had  broken  up  the  fever.  When  I  asked  them  if 
that  was  not  so,  they  hardly  knew  what  to  say. 
Deep  down  in  their  hearts,  the  poor  creatures  be- 
lieved that  the  elephant's  tooth  had  cured  Sarepa. 
However,  after  this,  when  Sarepa  or  her  husband 
had  a  cut  or  a  sore,  they  were  very  quick  in  coming 
to  the  mem  b'sar  for  medicine  to  cure  them. 

For  some  years,  we  had  a  Javanese  woman, 
Semina,  as  servant  in  the  mission  house.  She  was 
a  good  worker  as  far  as  native  servants  go.  One 
day,  I  happened  to  look  over  the  balcony  when 


NATIVE  BOYS,  EAST  COAST 


(121) 


122  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

Semina  was  washing  the  dishes,  and  to  my  horror, 
I  saw  her  wiping  the  perspiration  from  her  face  and 
neck  with  the  cloth  used  for  wiping  the  dishes.  I 
told  her  she  must  not  do  that  again.  After  this, 
I  watched  her  pretty  closely,  and  again  I  was  re- 
warded with  seeing  her  spitting  on  the  knives  and 
wiping  them  with  the  cloth.  I  felt  that  this  was 
about  as  much  as  I  could  stand.  I  told  her  that  in 
the  future,  I  did  not  want  her  to  wipe  the  dishes ;  all 
I  wanted  her  to  do  was  to  wash  them  and  then  scald 
them  and  put  them  in  the  rack  to  dry  in  the  sun. 
Then  I  waited  upstairs  to  see  what  would  hap- 
pen. The  dishes  were  washed,  but  I  could  see  no 
signs  of  their  being  scalded.  Calling  to  Semina, 
I  asked  about  the  hot  water.  "Nanti,  nanti" 
(wait),  she  replied.  I  waited.  Then  I  asked  again. 
The  reply  came  again,  "Nanti,  nanti."  Going  down- 
stairs, I  found  she  had  not  even  put  water  on  to 
heat,  so  I  told  her  to  pigi. 

A  friend  in  America  sent  me  an  old  picture  roll 
such  as  we  use  in  the  Sabbath  school.  It  was  a  back 
number,  so  I  handed  it  to  Mrs.  Youngberg,  think- 
ing her  little  daughter  would  be  interested  in  it. 
Mrs.  Youngberg  put  it  up  on  the  wall.  Next  morn- 
ing, Sarepa  came  into  the  room  to  sweep.  Looking 
at  the  picture  of  Christ  with  His  disciples,  she  said : 
"Those  men  must  be  the  giants  that  eat  people.  If 
I  had  that  in  my  house  at  night,  I  should  not  be  able 
to  sleep."  Poor  Sarepa ! 

These  people  are  full  of  superstition,  and  very 
much  afraid  of  the  spirits.  Their  idea  of  serving 


Varied  Experiences 


123 


their  gods  is  to  offer  them  things  in  order  to  make 
them  feel  kindly  disposed  toward  them.  They  know 
nothing  of  our  kind  heavenly  Father  who  sent  His 
Son  to  die  for  us,  that  we  might  be  saved.  May 
God  grant  that  in  some  way  these  people  may 
be  reached. 


BAPTISM  IN  GAYA  BAY,  JESSELTON 


PAN   LOT   YIN 


(124) 


CHAPTER  XIV 

Sacrificing  for  Missions 

BOUT  five  years  ago,  Pan  Loi  Yin,  a 
young  Chinese  girl  in  Borneo,  was 
turned  out  of  her  home  because  she  be- 
came a  Christian.  Weeping  bitterly, 
she  came  to  the  mission  house  and  told 
the  muk-su  (minister)  her  trouble.  The  muk-su's 
heart  was  touched,  and  he  told  her  she  might  come 
and  live  in  the  mission  house  and  he  would  help  her 
all  he  could.  Loi  Yin  came  to  live  with  us,  and  we 
gave  her  two  dollars  a  month  to  buy  food.  This 
was  before  food  was  so  expensive  as  it  is  now. 

The  thirteenth  Sabbath  was  near  at  hand.  The 
muk-su  told  our  Chinese  brethren  in  the  Sabbath 
school  that  the  offering  was  for  China,  and  sug- 
gested several  ways  in  which  they  could  raise  a  little 
extra  money  for  the  donations.  The  Chinese  in  our 
mission  are  very  poor,  most  of  them  being  gardeners 
living  on  a  few  cents  a  day.  The  thirteenth  Sabbath 
arrived ;  and  when  the  donations  were  handed  in,  we 
had  fifteen  dollars  —  a  large  sum  for  the  Chinese  to 
give.  The  donors  were  invited  to  relate  their  experi- 
ences in  obtaining  the  money  for  the  offering.  One 
told  of  cutting  wood,  another  of  selling  chickens,  an- 
other of  working  in  the  field.  In  the  rear  of  the 
church  sat  Pan  Loi  Yin  weeping  softly  to  herself. 
She  had  brought  to  the  altar  fifty  cents,  but  would 
not  tell  where  she  had  got  it. 

(125) 


126  With  the  Wild  Men  of  Borneo 

The  meeting  over,  we  returned  home.  When  Loi 
Yin  arrived,  the  muk-su  said  to  her,  "Loi  Yin,  won't 
you  please  tell  me  how  you  were  able  to  give  fifty 
cents  for  China  to-day?"  At  first,  she  said  nothing. 
At  last,  trembling,  she  said,  "I  deprived  myself  of  a 
meal  a  day  to  give  it."  Our  hearts  were  touched 
at  the  sacrifice  she  had  made. 

Young  friends,  think  of  it!  She  had  existed  on 
one  meal  a  day  for  a  month,  in  order  to  give  to  mis- 
sions. Have  you  ever  had  to  go  without  food  to  give 
for  missions?  Think  it  over  quietly. 

As  time  passed  on,  the  way  was  opened  for  Loi 
Yin  to  attend  the  Singapore  Training  School.  From 
there  she  came  to  Borneo  to  enter  the  Bible  work. 
We  found  her  always  faithful.  This  year,  she  mar- 
ried, and  has  gone  to  China  with  her  husband,  who 
is  also  in  Christian  work. 

This  is  just  one  example  of  the  fruits  of  our  labor 
in  "distant  Borneo."  We  have  many  Chinese  girls 
and  boys  of  the  same  material  as  Loi  Yin,  and  there 
are  many  yet  who  have  never  learned  of  the  Saviour. 
Do  you  not  want  to  have  a  part  in  winning  such 
girls  and  boys  for  the  Master? 


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This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


41584 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A     000  578  405     3 


